Flood cleanup, part 1

Yesterday I headed down to Findlay to help with cleanup. I didn't realize the extent of the flooding until I got down there, mostly because I haven't been watching the local news.

Matt and I first went to the LDS chapel in Findlay. The church has been designated the lead for all the church-based service groups participating in the cleanup; we drew cleaning supplies and a map to Ottawa, about 25mi W of Findlay. As we got about 10mi from Ottawa, the flood damage in the fields became readily apparent-- miles of dead corn stalks, ruined tomatoes, and high-water marks on trees and greenery. When we got into town, it was even worse: the streets are lined with piles of debris. Many businesses are still closed, and many of the people whose homes were damaged have few local alternatives for housing-- as a small town, Ottawa doesn't have any hotels and little spare rental housing.

At the Ottawa center, we signed in and quickly got a work assignment. Matt and I teamed up with four missionaries (the Ohio Cleveland Mission has assigned 50 missionaries to the cleanup efforts) and headed out. We spent the day tearing out the interior of a two-story house. Wallboard, lath, and insulation all had to go; the homeowner had already taken out the carpet, but the trim and tack strips had to be removed too. It was hot (94° outside), messy work, but we could definitely measure our progress. It was rewarding work.

I'm going back down on Thursday with a few other folks, and I'm trying to coordinate a broader business-based effort for sometime next week. Drop me an e-mail if you're interested in taking part.