Mormon Helping Hands

I had a great day yesterday volunteering with my church for Hurricane Irene relief efforts.  I didn't realize that some of the houses along the coast had been hit so badly despite the fact that Irene was downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it reached Connecticut.

I went with a group of other volunteers to help a lady named Luba.  She was born in Romania but has lived in the U.S. for many years.  She is middle aged and has blonde hair and was very sweet (she was not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints).  The main floor of her home been completed flooded by the waves coming ashore.  She said that the waves had hit the chimneys of the houses they were so big!  Apparently some of her neighbors just opened their front and back doors for the Ocean to pass through in hopes that not all of their windows would be broken by the pressure of the water passing!

When we first arrived I was amazed to see the condition of the home (two weeks had already passed since the Hurricane).  Her yard and driveway were a giant sand box.  The main floor of her home was in shambles.  And to top it off, she slipped on Friday and broke her leg (Fibula) so she was sitting in a chair with a splint on her lower leg.   Needless to say, she was very grateful to have our help.  I set about cleaning the sand and gunk that had filled the cupboards and refrigerator, while 3 of the men starting tearing up the linoleum with crowbars so the floor could dry and eventually be replaced.  A few of our other crew members began working in the yard to try and clean all the sand and debris.  One of the volunteers power washed the sides of her home and garage.  He tried to power wash the sand out of the lawn, but was not successful.  We eventually took wire-bristle brooms and swept out the sand.

Luba was very grateful and asked multiple times how she could make donations to our church, or if she could throw us a thank you party, etc. :)  I tried my best to make her comfortable.  Having broken my leg in high school it was easy for me to sympathize with her pain!  However, unlike me, she had no couch to lay on during recovery and no mother to tend to her every need.  She was just sitting on a kitchen chair in an empty kitchen with the floors torn up and the sheet rock cut apart apologizing that she couldn't help.  She was such a sweet lady.  (I didn't mention this, but the bottom 2 feet of sheet rock around the interior of her home had been cut away so that new sheet rock could be placed).

After about 3 or 4 hours at Luba's house, we came to a stopping point and headed to a nearby house where one of our other crews were working.  They had been working equally as hard, but there was still work to be done so we grabbed some shovels and got to work.

I wish I would've taken more pictures but was too busy.  Here are a few I did manage to take to give you an idea.  Unfortunately, the only photos taken inside Luba's home were left for her on a disposable camera to give to the insurance company.  I thought the camera was for before and after shots for the Helping Hands organization or I would've taken more photos.  There was another guy taking pictures and hopefully I'll get a hold of some of his photos.

Trying to clear the drive way of the sand (2 missionaries on the right)

The guy on the right (a Bishop from a nearby area) power washed the walk way while the others shoveled up the debris

Luba :) She had to go to the doctor to get a cast put on about the time we were finishing up.   She started on crutches down the walk way and almost fell over because she wasn't very good on the crutches.  Fortunately me and her friend caught her and kept her from falling!   The men insisted on helping her to the car. (A young missionary on the left and her Bishop on our right)

The house on the left is Luba's.  Talk about Ocean front property!--Gorgeous view

Notice the red deck, it's no longer attached with the home to which it belongs :(

The view from the Ocean, Luba's house is on the right.  All these homes, and many more, were severely damaged during the storm.

This was a neighbor's garage at the second place we helped.  This garage used to be adjacent to the building that is barely visible on the far right of the photo.

I didn't get a picture with my whole crew, but these were the other women in my group: Gengy and Tammy...they were fantastic. This photo was taken at the end of the day.  If you can't tell, we were tired.  I'm grateful that I can still be so active 5 1/2 months pregnant!

I loved working with the Mormon Helping Hands group.  Here is a link to their website-check them out!  http://lds.org/service/humanitarian/helping-hands?lang=eng.

I left my house before 8am and didn't return until about 5pm...it was a long day, but the relationships I made with my crew and the people we helped was priceless. (not trying to sound like a Mastercard commercial).

Love you all!  Hopefully we all take a minute to reflect on 9/11 today.

Update: I did receive a few more pictures from another guy that had his camera and was shooting pictures more officially.

The whole group of volunteers--we divided into several smaller groups before going to the work sites.

5 1/2 months pregnant.  I hope the baby appreciates this when "he's" older.