Hands On Disaster Response is now All Hands Volunteers

“…You are saving my home town.”
– John Burianek, Lifelong Cedar Rapids Resident and HODR volunteer

Project Cedar Rapids was initially slated as a 30-day flood relief project but after a short time working in Palo and Cedar Rapids, Iowa we realized there was much to be done and extended the project until October 25, 2008.

Volunteers have been going out every day emptying homes of water-logged possessions, removing soaked drywall and insulation, power washing basements and doing everything they can to help this amazing community recover. An extraordinary amount of work has been accomplished in the past 30 days and we are looking to carry this early momentum forward over the next three months.

Plugged In
Both 2008flood.org and Corridorrecovery.org have provided HODR with a local web connection to volunteers and people with flood related needs. We are successfully tracking our volunteers, volunteer hours, and work orders with a real time web-based database powered by Webex.

In just 30 days Project Cedar Rapids has:

-Accomplished all this with a project cost to date of only $19,000!

Our home away from home
The Cedar Hills Community Church (CHCC) has been a pillar of strength for this community and for HODR volunteers. The CHCC offered us a place to call home almost immediately during our assessment of the area. They have allowed us to build temporary showers and place a mobile office trailer in their parking lot. Our volunteers have a comfortable and inviting space to recoup after a long day in the flood zone. Since opening the doors to HODR the CHCC has hosted 130 volunteers under their roof. The CHCC congregation is volunteering alongside us as well! Dozens of church members have volunteered by mucking out houses, helping cook our meals every night and even doing our laundry. The CHCC is a truly dedicated and compassionate community. Thank you!

Building Partnerships
The Minnesota Conservation Corps (MCC) is on site and will be working with us until August 14th. The 11-person team is comprised of AmeriCorps members who have been dispatched to help HODR with the flood recovery effort. The MCC crew working with us is an energetic and professional crew that is providing leadership and valuable team continuity each day.

The Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) has sent a steady flow of volunteer teams to work with us and we will be increasing our interaction and level of partnership in the coming months. We will most likely be assisting the CRWRC with their community assessments starting in August. The assessment process will aid the Linn County Long Term Recovery Coalition in determining unmet needs in the community and how best to address them.

A team from Heart to Heart International (HHI) volunteered at Project Cedar Rapids while completing an assessment of the flood damage and the potential for a future partnership with HODR. We had a great time working with the HHI team and they may send reinforcements in the coming weeks.

The United Way and AmeriCorps have teamed up to staff the Eastern Iowa Volunteer Reception Center. The United Way has filled the role of the official coordinating entity in Cedar Rapids and AmeriCorps members are helping coordinate volunteers with the United Way in the area. We have regular interactions with the volunteer reception center and our sharing of information and resources will help both of our operations thrive in the coming weeks.

Soon we will be partnering with the AmeriCorps NCCC campus in Vinton, IA. HODR team leaders will train new NCCC members how to assess then cleanout/muck/gutt/ a house. We also anticipate applying for and receiving a 12 person team for eight weeks starting in August.

We are increasing our reach and effectiveness through various partnerships in Iowa and we could not have accomplished what we have thus far without the support of the following organizations’ volunteers and/or in-kind donation support: The City of Palo, Aegon/Life Investors, Coonrod Wrecker and Crane, Klein Tool, Kwik Stop Stores/Rainbo Oil of Dubuque, Limolink, Linn County Sheriff’s Office, Lowes, Mark Ralston Construction, Rockwell Collins, Royal Neighbors, Target Stores, U. S. Cellular, Mennonite Disaster Service, Life Church of Bluffton, IN, Green Bay Community Church, The Salvation Army, The Hull, IA Church Group, Wells Fargo, BonaResponds, Watchful Eye Foundation, Park Congregational Church, Seventh Day Adventist Disaster Response, and St. Joseph’s University.

Bill Driscoll Jr.
US Operations Director
Hands On Disaster Response

Project Cedar Rapids, HODR’s response to record-breaking flooding in Iowa, is being extended to October 25, 2008. After 3 weeks working in the Cedar Rapids area, there is an unfaltering need for volunteer resources to help with the flood clean-up.

More than 5,000 structures in the area were affected by the flooding, and most people did not have insurance to cover repairs. This is a wonderful community to be working in and volunteer efforts are especially needed. In only 23 days HODR has coordinated more than 600 volunteers from 28 states! Ranging in age from 10-years to 81-years, volunteers have gutted more than 70 homes in Cedar Rapids and Palo, bringing families one step closer to rebuilding. A big HODR THANK YOU to all of the volunteers and groups that have helped get our project off and running! One such group working with us was featured in the local paper here in Cedar Rapids.

Over the next 3 months we will continue to support those affected by the flooding in the initial phase of clean-up. We anticipate that our focus will consistently be on gutting and mucking out. We are exploring the possibility of helping with drywall repairs and installation should funding become available.

Project Cedar Rapids is our first full-length deployment in the USA since Hurricane Katrina. The project is going strong with new volunteers and alumni alike, and we need your help to further the strength of the project. To lend a hand on the ground please click here for volunteer info. To support Project Cedar Rapids through a tax-deductible donation to help cover our project costs go to the Please Give page or donate through PayPal at the left.

Keep checking in for updates and pictures! See you in Iowa!!

Project Cedar Rapids continues to be a huge success! So far our flood recovery efforts have resulted in the gutting and mucking out of over 70 homes. With the help of 450+ volunteers, HODR has managed to save flood survivors an estimated $103,845 in labor expenses!

For families who lost everything in the flood, this kind of savings dramatically improves their ability to repair their homes and rebuild their lives. Everyday HODR volunteers are giving the gift of hope to those who need it most…people like Harvey, a 90-year-old Cedar Rapids resident whose wife passed away just one day before the flood destroyed his home. The clean up phase of his property is now complete thanks to HODR volunteers.

Looking for a new experience?

Come volunteer with us! There is still much work to be done. The response from volunteers thus far has been tremendous, and we are looking to maintain this momentum throughout the length of the project. Click HERE for information on how you can volunteer.

Relocation of Volunteer Headquarters

The volunteer headquarters was initially set up in the small town of Palo, IA. While based there, HODR made a significant positive impact on the community by completing clean up projects for approximately 50 homes! Recently, the volunteer headquarters was relocated to the Cedar Hills Community Church in Cedar Rapids as the needs of flood survivors shifted more to that area. In addition to Cedar Rapids, we are still sending crews to work in Palo and Vinton, IA, as needed.

Demolition Job in Vinton, IA

One of our teams recently completed an extensive job involving the total demolition of a house in Vinton that had sustained damage beyond repair. Over multiple days, HODR volunteers worked with the homeowner to carefully dismantle the home while salvaging as many of the materials as possible. The free volunteer labor provided by this job resulted in a savings of over $7,000 to the homeowner!

Czech Village Rally

A team of 20 HODR volunteers attended a rally of business owners in the Czech Village area of Cedar Rapids. The event was held to promote the district’s commercial revitalization efforts. During that week, HODR volunteers had worked to clean out the store owned by the rally’s organizer. NFL QB and local sports hero Kurt Warner delivered bottled water to HODR volunteers during the work in Czech Village.

Independence Day

Volunteers took a well-deserved day off from working to celebrate 4th of July. The group enjoyed a road trip to the Field of Dreams movie set. The next evening, HODR was invited by local repeat volunteer, Dennis Freis, to a baseball game and fireworks display in nearby Watkins, IA.

Check Us Out!

View photos from Project Cedar Rapids. Click HERE to follow our mini-blog on Twitter.com.

“If you build it they will come…”

Project Cedar Rapids in Iowa had a dynamic first week. We coordinated over 300 volunteers and finished the gutting and mucking out of over 35 homes! Even if we packed up today we could call this one a success, but we won’t… HODR has made the commitment to be on the ground until at least July 22, 2008.
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