We are going to work September 15-20, 2008, with some driving, some flying. Some are departing on Saturday the 13th, some Sunday the 14th. The Episcopal church will deploy us and provide (free) places to stay. If you are interested in learning more, contact Jim Fryer, fryer602@281.com or Susan Barnes, susan@stmattsaustin.org .
Here is a summary of the need, as seen through the narrative of The Rev. Maureen Doherty, ETSS graduate 2001, rector of St. Andrew's, in Waverly Iowa:
As many of you know our State, Iowa, along with Missouri, Indiana and Wisconsin have been inundated with waters that have exceeded the imaginations of all in the path of rivers that joined and moved swiftly with a power that has left farm fields and parks looking like beaches, businesses closed indefinitely, thousands of homes damaged and uninhabitable. All flood records of the passed were washed away in 2008. It is estimated that in the Mid west 165,000 people are displaced.
In Iowa, particularly in the NE, we have been hit hard. In my small town of 10,000, a thousand homes and businesses were flooded as the water of the Cedar which would normally crest at 11 feet crested at over 19 feet. The floods filled basements and moved onto the first floors of homes. Since June 14th we have been cleaning, gutting, sanitizing and waiting for FEMA, insurance and the city to determine who can move ahead and who must walk away. The curbs are mostly cleaned up now of the personal memories in soaked boxes sitting out. Lathe and plaster, dry wall, floors and ceilings are on the curbs block after block. In some areas where that is picked up there is a very false illusion that all is well. We had 4 schools and 6 churches severely damaged, one school cannot reopen, kids are headed to a transformed mall. As school begins it is time to imagine putting homes together and creating new memories. We are still getting so much rain though that it is hard to dry basements. Down the road 12 miles is my home community Cedar Falls. The Cedar would crest here at 93 feet and on the 14th of June crested at over 102 feet. North Cedar Falls, primarily and "close to the river community" was totally devastated with water over the tops of houses, 1000 homes impacted here. Moving on down to Cedar Rapids 80 miles away, the river hit with a wall of 30 feet of water affecting over 7000 homes and closing every business downtown, including the police department, the events center. It is estimated that 1800 school children "are somewhere" other than home. The city will take years to recover. In Iowa City, 1/4 of the University of Iowa was under water, water that took almost 10 days to recede. I can keep moving down the river, in every place there is an Episcopal church on the east side of the state and every town in between there was flooding.....some just seeing land this week. Of course all of this came about 3 weeks after a category 5 tornado hit the town of Parkersburg and New Hartford, just 12 miles from us. 5 were killed and 1/2 of the towns destroyed only then to be flooded. So we welcome our brothers and sisters to come. As you know, we have winter here so the need to rebuild where we can, as soon as people are able to move into that phase is critical. For some there is still gutting to do. It all depends on when the water hit and how long it stayed. We truly appreciate the offers of hands and money. Bishop Scarfe has a relief fund which is critical. Many received little FEMA help, had no insurance so the ability to buy needed materials and labor is minimal. Many will also need household goods, clothes, school supplies, the things that make home, home. The Diocese address for donations is Diocese House 225 37th St. Des Moines, IA 50312.