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BUCKHANNON – A volunteer group has helped 15 local families complete home demolitions or remove parts of their homes damaged by floodwaters, and they plan to help dozens more over the next several weeks.
Sonja Degerstrom, coordinator of strategic partnerships for Christ in Action, said they have been in Buckhannon for about a week.
“What we do is we do full home demolition, so in certain cases, you will have a home completely destroyed,” Degerstrom said. “That allows the homeowner to save about $10,000 to $15,000, so they can put that toward rebuilding.”
They also provide gutting services, removing drywall, flooring, insulation and other parts of the home that were irreparably damaged or run the risk of producing mold.
“We’re trying to prevent people from getting sick. I know sometimes people think they can’t rebuild, but even if it doesn’t look pretty for a little while, keeping the house dry ensures they don’t get sick from the mold,” Degerstrom said. “Our base camp is in Buckhannon. There are a good 14 of us who are always here, and then we have volunteers coming in from all over the country who will volunteer throughout the time frame we’re here, and so right now we have about 26.”
Anyone local who wants to volunteer can also contact the group to see how they can help.
“We, as a disaster relief ministry, typically stay longer than a lot of groups when we come in. That’s just how we roll, because there are usually people who don’t ask for help or don’t realize they need help, or sometimes it takes a little while to convince someone that they do need to remove things from their home,” Degerstrom said. “We’re expected right now to be here for another five weeks.”
Since their arrival, their volunteer teams have helped 15 families and have 34 more scheduled.
“We have about 17 on hold, which means we need one final piece from them. For demolition, they might need to just disconnect electricity, or there are different pieces that are on hold,” Degerstrom said. “Our hope in the end is we’re able to help around 70.”
Christ in Action provides an assistance line so people can tell them they need help: 571-358-9242.
“We have people who man that line all the time, 24/7. They can call in and share what they need and their contact information, and then they get that to us on the ground, and we go out and assess the situation,” Degerstrom said. “If it’s not something we can do, we guide them and direct them to the correct resources, so call 571-358-9242.”
