More than 600 MDS volunteers have assisted Hurricane Floyd survivors

Mennonite Central Committee
Saturday, 18 March 2000

SNOW HILL, N.C. — More than 600 Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) volunteers have helped Hurricane Floyd survivors in Virginia and North Carolina recover from the September 1999 disaster.

Set up in response to major flooding caused by the hurricane, the Courtland, Va., Snow Hill, N.C., and Burgaw, N.C., MDS projects are coming off a busy volunteer season during which they averaged 30 volunteers a week. More than 40 jobs, including clean up and major and minor repairs, have been completed. Much of the work involves completely redoing the insides of homes where contaminated flood waters soaked and damaged wood frames, carpets, drywall and insulation.

The Courtland, Va., project is scheduled to close at the end of March after completing work at 23 job sites. The Snow Hill, N.C. project will remain open through the summer and serve as one of the sites for the MDS summer youth program. A decision about the future of the Burgaw, N.C., project will be made this month.

The 1999-2000 winter season has become a costly one for MDS. In addition to the three Hurricane Floyd projects, MDS is also in Little Rock, Ark., rebuilding from January 1999 tornadoes, in Redding, Calif. rebuilding from October 1999 wildfires and in Guthrie, Okla., finishing a 10-month rebuilding project from May 1999 tornadoes. In January and February, MDS lead a massive clean-up effort in Nashville, Ark., where hundreds of chicken houses were destroyed after heavy wet snow caused them to collapse.

Donations are needed to help support the continued responding, rebuilding and restoring efforts of MDS and to ensure resources to respond to spring tornadoes. Contributions can be sent to MDS, 21 South 12th St., PO Box 500, Akron, PA 17501.

For more information, or to contact Mennonite Central Committee, see their website at: www.mcc.org