We made it back as far as Bluffton, SC from our trip to VA to winterize our 5th wheel and load up our bunkhouse RV to go back to Richmond Hill, GA and continue helping folks from Hurricane Debby. Unknown to us that while we were gone Helene was going to wreak havoc across so much of the US.
Helene, as you probably know, seems to have done more widespread damage than anything I can remember. The people I’ve talked to, the pictures and videos I continue to see are unimaginable to me and how folks are dealing with all of this.
The area we’ve been serving in since Debby also got hit by Helene. They got lots of wind damage, so trees and power lines are down and there's lots of debris to clean up. A lot of folks lost power, internet, and cell service. Some have gotten it back but there are still lots of areas without it. Our son, Nick, got water in his home again and then lost power and it is still out. Thus, we stopped to stay with friends in Bluffton as we figure out what’s next!
I’m meeting with one of the pastors at First Baptist in Richmond Hill today where we’re supposed to be setting up our bunkhouse to live in here for now. Their parking lot rear entrance goes into the neighborhood where we going to help with some rebuilds.
So far, we’ve been able to final clean, properly dry, and spray antimicrobial in 19 homes. We’ve got 3 that are waiting on us to get back at it and do the final clean and then spray as they should be dry by now! There’s also a couple more that we’re waiting to see what the homeowners are wanting to do for us to do the same in their homes.
One of the homes we’re waiting on the AC to be fixed so that once it’s sprayed again it will be able to dry properly without mold growing again. She had another group deconstruct her home and then spray it while it was still wet and said she was OK to move forward. 2 weeks later she had new mold growing everywhere. I had to purchase a new machine, an air scrubber, to combat all the mold spores in the home while I put a bunch of drying equipment in it to get it as dry as I could as quickly as I could. It looks like her home will be OK without her having to spend more money and/or have mold growing in her walls! This is why we do things the way we know the correct way to do it, or we find someone who can show us how! (James 4:17)
I’ve also started working on doing some electric stuff in a couple of homes. Some things that sat in water will need to be replaced and there are some other issues from the flooding that I’m working on so that these folks can begin their rebuilding process. I’m done checking/fixing the circuits in 2 homes and I’ll be replacing all the switches and outlets once the home is painted down the road.
Many folks have moved forward with insulation and drywall that we helped. There have been several issues with folks trying to help, with some of them taking advantaged of these homeowners. I’ve offered to “GC” the work for them to ensure things are being done right, but no one understands how long all of this takes and they just move forward. I’ve had to step away from helping a couple of them because they won’t allow me to “GC” the work or listen to my advice, but then want me to come in and fix things when it goes wrong. They get upset, but I do explain it to them up front and then again when I tell them there’s nothing I can do. I wish I could do more, but I can only do what folks allow me to do, and then it must be done right for us to be involved.
And now, Helene has brought in a whole other set of things that need done. We’re contacting folks to see about helping with tree and debris removal and if someone needs a tarp installed, we’ll help with that too. We’ve got a couple folks we’re going to try to help, and one tree/debris cleanup usually leads to another so I’m sure this will mean a lot more stuff for us to do!
We’re going to see what we can come up with for some out-of-town volunteers to come in, we already have a few that are wanting to join us right away, so let us know if you’re interested and we’ll see what we can work out. We also still have some local volunteers who have been helping and we’re praying that continues.
As I mentioned, we needed to winterize our 5th wheel as it’s in VA and winter is coming. Unfortunately, I found that 3 of the 4 slide outs have water damage in the floor and it was still wet. I didn’t have the time to dry and fix them, so I taped up as much as I could and winterized it as best I could and pray it’ll be fine until this spring, and I’ll have to work on it then. This will be the first winter we haven’t lived in it so the first time I winterized it and it’s a lot different than the bunkhouse so hopefully it will be OK. While there, one of the AC units quit working, so that will also need to be replaced! Always something!
If you follow us, you’ll know that I had to redo the fuel injection system on our diesel. It was a huge project that I did myself. I finished it before we ended up heading to GA the first time and didn’t trust it enough to drive it too far. I decided to use it to pull the bunkhouse this time, and it appears that I got it working almost 100% to where I need it to be and so much better than what it was. There was a definite improvement on the power, fuel mileage, shifting, etc.! I had to replace both batteries before we left and I also discovered an electrical issue. I had several things that wouldn’t turn on. I couldn’t find any fuses blown and everything looked great, and then all of the sudden everything except the AC started working again. I don’t know if that’s an electrical or an AC issue, so that will need fixed. It was a long, hot drive down here this weekend!
As you can see, never a dull moment for us! We’re both still going through our physical issues and God is ALWAYS GOOD and allows us to still be used by Him in disaster relief so we do what we can and do our best to take care of our bodies so that we can press on and into Jesus!
If you’re interested in growing in The LORD as you selflessly serve others alongside of Calvary Relief, please let us know! For more info on joining us, click here. Plenty of things to do!
If you feel led to help with any of the expenses with Calvary Relief, please click here.
Most importantly, please keep us and all those affected by these storms in your prayers. There’s also a potential for another storm to come and the season isn’t over yet! If there’s ever anything you need prayer about or just need to talk to someone, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us and let us know!
Here to serve and disciple until He calls us home,
Curt & Mary Jo
