Chasing4Life and Neighbors Across The Land will be a bit busy this week with crews working clean up after Sunday's storm that ripped up the small town of Eldora, Iowa with 70 mph wind and two-inch diameter hail. During the storm, some reports were of 3.5" hail and winds even higher! The sustained storm conditions throughout the day left the town with automobiles destroyed and nearly EVERY home in the community with broken framing and shattered windows.
From what we have seen and had confirmed by Dept of Agriculture representatives, the corn, which just two days ago was almost 10 ft tall, is now only knee-high! According to the City Administrator yesterday in a conversation with Greg, an estimated 90% of the dwellings in the community have been damaged!
The instance has brought to light the incredible need for dedicated volunteers that are interested in joining our efforts BEFORE disaster strikes as we are presently struggling for manpower amidst the mess.
Over the years, we have found that despite the relentless efforts of our team, people just don't take it all seriously until it happens. It is unfortunate now that we have to hunt down folks that are ready to help, and perhaps even more depressing that there are folks that have surfaced suddenly to make an appearance during the flurry of press coverage and attention. Folks, this is a real need and the importance of planning cannot be over-stressed. With a team of 50 volunteers pre-trained and ready, we could have descended on this small town with a vengeance and could have cut a swath of recovery un-equaled by most organizations, but alas, it has been with but a dozen or so that the team has made their way through the debris and assisted in boarding up homes, tarping roofs and salvaging the belongings of the Eldora residents.
In late September of this year, training will begin again with our fall schedule. If you are interested in becoming a part of the next team for the next disasters, NOW is the time to contact us and say, "I'll go next time".
Today, with a small handful, we will be in Eldora again where we will be for at least the next 7 days. After that, we COULD be responding to a disaster in YOUR town...how many volunteers would you like us to have THEN?
You have a lot to think about today. We need your help. We have posted this before, it has been in our newsletters, and some of you have even heard from us in person or by phone...
If you are interested in becoming a part of a trained volunteer team, contact us today. If you are in a position to assist us in re-stocking our warehoused supplies like tarps, water, non-perishable foods, tents, plastic sheeting, flashlights, batteries, plywood (1/2 & full sheets), rain gear, hats, t-shirts (new), chainsaws, tree saws, generators... the list goes on.
Supplies like tarps, food and water were depleted already from the warehouse this week. Become a part of something real this week.
Picture:John Gaps III/The Des Moines Register
(We will post our pics from yesterday later this afternoon)
