Dec. 22, 1997

Volunteers form backbone of Upper Midwest relief work

By Linda Bloom

NOTE: This story is part of a series of stories about relief efforts in the flood-ravaged Upper Midwest.

When volunteer worker Cecile Adams arrived in Grand Forks, N.D., in November, she noticed an enthusiasm that contrasted sharply with the bleak rows of empty houses condemned after the flood.

As the Michigan woman rolled up her sleeves to begin working with members of Zion United Methodist Church, she found many people to be upbeat and optimistic.

"They're not playing "poor me,’ she said. "They definitely see an opportunity to rebuild their lives and their town and their congregations."

Adams, who is council director for the United Methodist Detroit Annual (regional) conference, was on one of many volunteer work teams that has assisted in flood recovery in the Dakotas and Minnesota. Her group consisted of seven council directors from the North Central Jurisdiction.

Cleone Hagmann and husband Harlyn have coordinated volunteer work assignments from an office in Minneapolis. They have been delighted with the response from the national church, Cleone Hagmann said.

As of December, an estimated 500 work teams had been dispatched to all areas of flooding, providing more than 50,000 work hours.

But much work remains.

"We continue to need workers through the winter," Hagmann reported. "There is indoor work to be done, and we can provide housing for them." Teams also are being scheduled for spring and summer.

Particularly needed are electricians and plumbers licensed to work in those states, along with people skilled at putting up dry wall and Sheetrock and any "who can be helpers and follow instructions," she said.

Work sites range all the way from lower Minnesota to the Canadian border. Some locations, such as remote rural areas in the Dakotas, have been difficult to access.

Much of the effort is focused on rebuilding -- such as installing insulation, doing foundation work and laying carpet.

However, many homes need a basic "mud-out" and disinfecting, Hagmann said. "We're discovering some areas and some homes that have not been touched."

By all accounts, the support has been greatly appreciated.

Adams recalled "digging like crazy" one Saturday morning as she and her volunteer team removed dirt from the Zion church basement to prepare for an elevator shaft and plumbing lines.

Suddenly, a church member came in, grabbed a shovel, and joined them.

"It's amazing how it energized us," she said. The next day, someone in the congregation "made a remark about how we had energized them just by coming in to work with them."

Source: United Methodist News Service.