Category: Floods

Update – February 18, 2020

Here is a sampling of how ACS and other Adventist volunteer groups are getting involved in the Recovery Efforts. Especially hard hit were areas in Pendleton, Walla Walla, and outlying parts of Umatilla County.

• Center for Humanitarian Engagement (CHE), led by David Lopez, gathered volunteers to work on two Relief projects this weekend. Eighty Walla Walla University students filled over 30,000 bags of sand. Click here for photos. They also have been helping to find volunteers to staff an assessment call center at the Emergency Management Department. Click here for latest newsletter by CHE on the flooding response.
• Walla Walla Valley Academy with less time and students filled over 8,000 bags of sand.
• Individual members sheltered evacuees.
• SonBridge Center, in College Place, was on a one-hour alert for providing shelter for evacuees. They were willing in spite of the fact that the next morning was the yearly constituency meeting.
• From Sabbath through Wednesday last week, ACS volunteers including lots of young people fixed meals for evacuees staying at the Red Cross shelter in Walla Walla.
• A young private business owner from Coeur d’Alene, Albert Rorabeck, happily shared one full day and his big truck to drive the ACS DR trailer filled with flood buckets and supplies needed to man a donations warehouse to Walla Walla Fairgrounds first, and then on to Pendleton Convention Center. This activity was coordinated by Larry Marsh, who recently retired as Vice President for Education at Upper Columbia Conference.
• With short notice a MARC (Multi-Agency Response Center) was planned for Thursday in Pendleton. Linda & Phil Ruud, Shawn Ruud, and Pastor Gibson have played key roles in the Pendleton area for planning the ACS response. Adventist Community Services provided a booth that included free flood buckets filled with what items needed in cleanup.
• In addition, ACS was asked to provide an Emotional and Spiritual Care team coordinated by Dan Solis, Gary Gibson, Jeff Kinne, and Mike Lambert.
• On Friday, a Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) was set up in the Walla Walla area.
• As of Friday afternoon with new furniture, refrigerators, clothing, and other items being trucked into Pendleton as gift to the survivors, final negotiations were in process for ACS to open a Donations Management Warehouse.

Last Spring, many Pathfinders under the direction of UCC Pathfinder Coordinator, Richie Brower, filled around 150 flood buckets. Almost a third of the buckets were delivered then to three different Native American communities in Eastern Washington that experienced flooding. The remaining flood buckets which were stored for almost a year are being loaded with supplies to assist with this disaster relief. Early Wednesday morning a call came from the Senior Red Cross Manager to UCC ACS/ACSDR Director Patty Marsh, “Do you by chance have flood buckets? We are in great need here for evacuees at the Walla Walla Fairgrounds?” With excitement Patty was able to tell the Manager that the flood buckets were a little over an hour out. “Through the combined efforts of many, these buckets were one more way Adventists can share with a hurting world. We care…,” stated Patty.

A special thank you goes to Patty Marsh; Doug Venn, UCC ACSDR Coordinator; David Lopez, WWU Center for Humanitarian Engagement; Norman Thiel, SonBridge Director; Larry Mays, NPUC DR Coordinator; and Byron Dulan, NPUC ACS Director, who have been working tirelessly to pinpoint how best ACS and volunteers can bring the greatest support to these individuals and communities.

Historic flooding over the past few days caused by torrential rain and snowmelt have ravaged communities in the Midwest. This record-breaking disaster resulting in four deaths and mass destruction has forced thousands to evacuate. A state of emergency has been declared in Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin. In Nebraska alone, 89 cities have issued declarations which cover more than 80 percent of the State.

Our Nebraska ACS Director, Rick Young, has partnered with Salvation Army to operate the State Distribution Warehouse in Lincoln that will serve the affected communities. ACS is handling the donations tracking, while Salvation Army is running the warehouse. The State is asking all those who want to offer assistance in cleanup to go through Salvation Army by calling 402-898-6050 or visiting www.salarmyomaha.org. You can also contact the SDA churches in the affected areas to provide help. Our Missouri ACS DR Team worked in coordination with the Missouri Emergency Management Agency to provide aid to the city of St. Joseph. They joined hands with AmeriCorps St. Louis, Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief, and the Missouri Department of Corrections on the sandbagging operations.

On June 10, early Sunday morning, ACS and Youth Ministries members from the Allegheny East and Chesapeake conferences, as well as volunteers from the community, gathered together at the Miracle City SDA Church to help with ‘Muck Out’ in response to the Ellicott City flooding. Despite the uncertain weather, there were 55 individuals who came prepared to work in more than ten areas that had been affected in Baltimore and Catonsville. They headed to the Stillmeadow Community Fellowship Church where the Operations Center was housed. The ACS DR team connected with Team Rubicon, a national partner of ACS DR, and discussed the activities of the day which included removing furniture, carpet, drywall, and etc. Individuals were placed into teams of seven where each team member was provided a skilled worker to accompany them and direct their efforts.

Each home they visited was close to a waterway that had produced a river-like water out in the streets. Much of the wet boxes and furniture still held water from over two weeks ago. Additionally, some of the homes had already begun to develop mold. Since much of the work took place inside homes, the DR Teams were able to talk to the residents of the affected homes about the rushing waters that devastated their community. While many were sincerely grateful to get their homes cleaned out of the remaining debris, some of them spoke of other needs that had not been met such as food, water, and other necessities. Since the DR Teams had gotten a briefing in the morning before heading onto the streets, they were able to provide information on a local school that had opened a Help Center for those that lived in the area. Click here to read some of the stories that the residents shared with us.

Both the Chesapeake and Allegheny East conferences have committed to continue assisting in the days and weeks ahead. The Conferences have also expressed an interest in partnering with us in Rebuild work after the homes are cleaned out. This work will include drywall replacement, painting, flooring, and etc. These Recovery Efforts will be part of a long-term Recovery Plan and will go on for the next year.

Many residents of homes that were impacted by the floods shared their stories with those who helped out with the ‘Muck Out’ on June 10. Click here to read more information on the Recovery Efforts. One resident who expressed her concern was a young lady named Dionne who lived with her two boys on a second-floor apartment building that got flooded. After she shared her tragic experience, she asked us where we were from. W. Derrick Lea, NAD ACS DR Director, informed her of the Seventh-day Adventist Church at Miracle City which was just two blocks away, and offered to introduce her to Pr. David Franklin who was present on the scene. They had a pleasant conversation, where Pr. David invited her to next Sabbath’s service to which she gladly accepted.

One Health Care worker named Hadie, whose basement was flooded, explained she was not home during the actual storm. She works at the local hospital and was on her night shift as the rains fell. Her husband at home had informed her the water level was raising, but she assumed it would recede as it always had previously. This family had lived on Frederick Road for 20 years, and never experienced anything like the latest rain. Early in the morning, her husband called to inform her that water was getting into the house. Hours later, they had over two feet of water in the basement. As the ‘Muck Out’ work began, she was getting ready to sleep before her night shift once again. While the DR volunteers didn’t mean to wake her up as they worked hard on her home that desperately needed fixing, she was truly appreciative of all the tremendous help that was provided to her family. Besides the residents, the DR volunteers also expressed how grateful they were for this opportunity to be able to help in some way.

Check out the story of Hadie sharing her experience with W. Derrick Lea, North American Division ACS DR Director.

Heavy rains over the Memorial Day weekend have caused severe flooding in Maryland, affecting communities in Howard, Frederick, and Washington Counties. Some of the hardest hit places were Baltimore and Ellicott City. ACS Disaster Response leaders from the North American Division, Chesapeake, and Allegheny East Conferences are collaborating with each other and some of our partner organizations on the Recovery efforts in the impacted areas.

The Allegheny East Conference partnered with the Miracle SDA Church in conducting a needs-assessment of the areas close to the church which were affected. Various streets were closed and barriers had been erected near the church. W. Derrick Lea, NAD ACS DR Director, paid a visit to the Church and the affected community. The pastor of Miracle Church, Pr. David Franklin, explained all the damage that his neighborhood had sustained. They discussed what resources could be of help to the community and what role the church was prepared to play. They also visited a very large Baptist church that housed the Operations Center for the local Disaster. There were at least 25 people present from various organizations handling different tasks. Aid workers included personnel from ACS, the Red Cross, and Emergency Management.

The Chesapeake Conference is in contact with the Red Cross who is rendering Emotional & Spiritual Care to those affected in Washington and Frederick Counties. John Belliveau, the ACS DR Director for the Conference, is perusing a possible partnership in this effort that could incorporate our newly trained workers, as well. John and Derrick were able to connect with three other organizations that were interested in working with our DR Teams. John reached out to his newly trained Team and solicited credentialed individuals who could render service. In addition, he offered to shadow an experienced team on the ground and will ensure our members are used as appropriate in the coming days.

ACS Disaster Response is working hard to assist these communities with our Teams all over the region. As the work becomes more established, we will take advantage of additional resources that have been offered from Youth Ministries, which awaits our call for help. Many of our youth are willing to assist and as the need materializes we’ll engage them in activity towards the Recovery Efforts.