Disciples Volunteers from Glen Oak Christian Church, Peoria, IL experienced both ends of rebuilding in one morning. After being oriented with Northshore Disaster Recovery, they were assigned to work on Mitchell St. in Slidell. Their first job was to load construction debris into a dump trailer. The debris was left-over from the rebuilding of Mr. James’ home, which was recently restored by volunteers from the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee. Once the debris was cleaned out of Mr. James’ yard, they walked down the road to his father’s house. Katrina brought 6 feet of flood water into Mr. Mitchell’s home. How does he know? He was there. Flood water that started ankle deep quickly rose to his chest, forcing Mr. Mitchell to take shelter in the attic of the home he has lived in for 60 years. After the storm, Mr. Mitchell cleaned out his home as best he could. He regularly wipes down the walls with bleach. Despite his best efforts, the mold still grew to the point where his home is no longer a sanitary environment. The volunteers from Peoria, IL are beginning a process that will take several months. But when it is done, Mr. Mitchell will have a safe, sanitary, and secure place to once again call Home.
Disciples Volunteers prepare to gut a home in Slidell
Mr. James shares his story with Volunteers
Volunteers from Illinois by debris pile
