Lets just call this spreading good news?
Spent the last week in Mayfield Kentucky with a group of 11 volunteers that traveled from Wisconsin.
The Tornado/storm. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Western_Kentucky_tornado
Samaritan's Purse Response. https://ontheground.samaritanspurse.org/podcast/rebuilding-after-the-storm-mayfield-kentucky
I get emails from a Wisconsin volunteer team leader and decided to do this trip. It's a commitment to go and do whatever needs doing for one week. Samaritan's' purse has ties with churches across the country, when disaster strikes the closest church gets tapped to host SP their volunteer crews, staff, the construction equipment, supplies, and whatever else needs to be on site to help the community get back on it's feet.
Within one week of the storm over 30 million dollars of donations had flowed in, and they swung into action.
`My team leader had a crew there 10 days after the storm.
The SP focus shifted from disaster recovery to rebuild by April.
About 8 new homes have been completed with 15 more in process and at least 50 more planned.
The house we worked on is replacing a house the tornado "removed". Young couple with a four month old child. They piled into a bathtub, dad on top, two black labs on his back. After tornado, they and tub were in yard 50' from where the house had been. House was gone, nothing above the floor remained. ZERO not a piece or possession remained. Car was on it's tires but destryed, they ended up walking to a fire station 2 blocks away, it's roof also gone, they sheltered in an "intact" room with an emergency blanket for cover as the storm/downpour raged for another... hour, two? Husband had several lacerations requiring stitches. Lots of cuts n bruises. But they were otherwise unhurt. They told us their story. It was obvious even a year later they were traumatized "reliving" the storm.
So we arrived on site Monday, the walls were up.
SP offers three house plans, all about 1,000' with a central "safe room" about 10x10', concrete, rebar reinforced,floor, walls, ceiling. it will get a 300 lb, three dead bolt steel door. Room serves as bathroom, laundry area in the completed house. SP had already installed an underground tornado shelter, family was living on the lot in a small travel trailer. Mother, on next lot over had a new double wide to live in, her house also destroyed while she was in it.
Some pics of our project. Each project has a dedicated volunteer "builder/general contractor and assistant" that works with the "week at a time, volunteer crews" (4 of us this week) that rotate through.
Monday when we started our work.
Crawl space with safe room foundation, the walls filled to floor level with crushed gravel.
We dug holes poured footings for front porch posts, finished framing walls, poured floor in safe room, then sheeted, installed rakes on gable trusses, built porch posts, beam.
Set trusses with help of crane and a "wall walker" crew.
Installed the roof plywood and poof the week was gone.
When we left Friday.
Next crew will install the roof paper and the house will be "dry" inside.
When completed SP will install stove fridge, washer, dryer and furnish the house. Hand the owners a free and clear title. Often the projects are house rebuilds but because so many houses were completely destroyed, new houses made more sense here. "Our" house was 30 miles from Mayfield, destruction extended more than 50 miles both directions.
The church hall where we lived for the week, there were "dorm rooms" upstairs in this building we slept 4 to a room, crews manned a full kitchen, provide breakfast, sack lunch and dinner for about 50 people every day.
We arrived late Sunday, left Friday afternoon after a full clean up to allow the church to use their own facilities for the weekends.
We had great weather, mostly got up to 40's with sunshine, just one night of rain showers.
A group of "special needs" people with team was there the week we were and also pitched in. They had tried a long time to find a group that would take them in to help, before SP gave the go ahead to house them. Abilities varied, but they were enthusiastic helpers. Sharing with them through the week was eye opening in so many ways.
Warehouse SP built filled with furniture, appliances and other building supplies.
The "show room" and construction office.
Long term volunteers are set up in an "RV park" SP built on site.
This 80 home neighborhood is under construction.
New from a heavily wooded lot on up. Houses are provided to "former renters" that are able to prove they can pay taxes, utilities etc commit to living there 5 years, they then own the home free and clear.
SP also providing new furniture and appliances as needed to 300? other families hurt by the storm.
Kinda hard not to want to share what goes on, that the media "ignores". We live in great and generous country!
After a week on the job site, I need to recover for a bit! Being "the gggGary", a Honda 750 single cam got sent down towards Georgia, and I went to Indy afterwards and brought a "mostly 71 project" from Jerm.
Well gotta gotta go unload the Prius and trailer, sort through and see what I have!
Spent the last week in Mayfield Kentucky with a group of 11 volunteers that traveled from Wisconsin.
The Tornado/storm. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Western_Kentucky_tornado
Samaritan's Purse Response. https://ontheground.samaritanspurse.org/podcast/rebuilding-after-the-storm-mayfield-kentucky
I get emails from a Wisconsin volunteer team leader and decided to do this trip. It's a commitment to go and do whatever needs doing for one week. Samaritan's' purse has ties with churches across the country, when disaster strikes the closest church gets tapped to host SP their volunteer crews, staff, the construction equipment, supplies, and whatever else needs to be on site to help the community get back on it's feet.
Within one week of the storm over 30 million dollars of donations had flowed in, and they swung into action.
`My team leader had a crew there 10 days after the storm.
The SP focus shifted from disaster recovery to rebuild by April.
About 8 new homes have been completed with 15 more in process and at least 50 more planned.
The house we worked on is replacing a house the tornado "removed". Young couple with a four month old child. They piled into a bathtub, dad on top, two black labs on his back. After tornado, they and tub were in yard 50' from where the house had been. House was gone, nothing above the floor remained. ZERO not a piece or possession remained. Car was on it's tires but destryed, they ended up walking to a fire station 2 blocks away, it's roof also gone, they sheltered in an "intact" room with an emergency blanket for cover as the storm/downpour raged for another... hour, two? Husband had several lacerations requiring stitches. Lots of cuts n bruises. But they were otherwise unhurt. They told us their story. It was obvious even a year later they were traumatized "reliving" the storm.
So we arrived on site Monday, the walls were up.
SP offers three house plans, all about 1,000' with a central "safe room" about 10x10', concrete, rebar reinforced,floor, walls, ceiling. it will get a 300 lb, three dead bolt steel door. Room serves as bathroom, laundry area in the completed house. SP had already installed an underground tornado shelter, family was living on the lot in a small travel trailer. Mother, on next lot over had a new double wide to live in, her house also destroyed while she was in it.
Some pics of our project. Each project has a dedicated volunteer "builder/general contractor and assistant" that works with the "week at a time, volunteer crews" (4 of us this week) that rotate through.
Monday when we started our work.
Crawl space with safe room foundation, the walls filled to floor level with crushed gravel.
We dug holes poured footings for front porch posts, finished framing walls, poured floor in safe room, then sheeted, installed rakes on gable trusses, built porch posts, beam.
Set trusses with help of crane and a "wall walker" crew.
Installed the roof plywood and poof the week was gone.
When we left Friday.
Next crew will install the roof paper and the house will be "dry" inside.
When completed SP will install stove fridge, washer, dryer and furnish the house. Hand the owners a free and clear title. Often the projects are house rebuilds but because so many houses were completely destroyed, new houses made more sense here. "Our" house was 30 miles from Mayfield, destruction extended more than 50 miles both directions.
The church hall where we lived for the week, there were "dorm rooms" upstairs in this building we slept 4 to a room, crews manned a full kitchen, provide breakfast, sack lunch and dinner for about 50 people every day.
We arrived late Sunday, left Friday afternoon after a full clean up to allow the church to use their own facilities for the weekends.
We had great weather, mostly got up to 40's with sunshine, just one night of rain showers.
A group of "special needs" people with team was there the week we were and also pitched in. They had tried a long time to find a group that would take them in to help, before SP gave the go ahead to house them. Abilities varied, but they were enthusiastic helpers. Sharing with them through the week was eye opening in so many ways.
Warehouse SP built filled with furniture, appliances and other building supplies.
The "show room" and construction office.
Long term volunteers are set up in an "RV park" SP built on site.
This 80 home neighborhood is under construction.
New from a heavily wooded lot on up. Houses are provided to "former renters" that are able to prove they can pay taxes, utilities etc commit to living there 5 years, they then own the home free and clear.
SP also providing new furniture and appliances as needed to 300? other families hurt by the storm.
Kinda hard not to want to share what goes on, that the media "ignores". We live in great and generous country!
After a week on the job site, I need to recover for a bit! Being "the gggGary", a Honda 750 single cam got sent down towards Georgia, and I went to Indy afterwards and brought a "mostly 71 project" from Jerm.
Well gotta gotta go unload the Prius and trailer, sort through and see what I have!
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