From the outside, most of the homes looked to be in pretty good condition with just a few roof shingles missing and perhaps a loose downspout. The first hint of the level of damage was the piles of appliances, carpeting, wallboard, and boxes in front of many of the homes. The second indication of the damage was when we noticed camper trailers in front of several homes and learned that the people were living there until their homes could be rebuilt.
We soon learned that the flood waters of Hurricane Ike and the resulting mold had so completely ruined the possessions and interior of the homes that they had to be gutted, down to concrete and studs, and disinfected before rebuilding could occur. Over the days we were on site, we saw a newly painted and very comfortable looking frame home disappear. The owner decided that reclaiming the home was not justified; it vanished leaving an empty lot.
While it has not received the media attention of Katrina, Hurricane Ike was the third most destructive storm ever to make landfall in the United States. The storm hit the Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston on the morning of September 13, 2008. The wind did significant damage, but the flooding of the storm surge was far more devastating to property. The final search for bodies did not end until early February of 2009.
Planning a work trip for college students is a challenge. They have a high level of enthusiasm and great energy, but they generally lack skills in construction. We soon learned that a tremendous amount of unskilled physical labor was needed to “muck out” the homes, remove the wall board, chip off the floor tile, and perform bleach disinfecting before skilled labor would be needed to re-install electrical circuits and rebuild the interior. “Mucking out” was the kind of work our team could handle and find rewarding. The team included 29 workers — 23 students, one faculty member, and five adult volunteers from First Church of Kerrville. The trip was largely funded through voluntary contributions to Schreiner University Campus Ministry.
At the end of our first day, we could already see the progress made toward reclaiming the homes where we worked. On our second day on site, I asked some of the students how they felt about the situation in Galveston. They were shocked and dismayed by the level of damage, and realized the daunting nature of the task of reclaiming homes and lives.
The Schreiner University Work Trip was a truly ecumenical experience. Our arrangements were made through Presbyterian Disaster Assistance; we stayed at Good News Galveston, which is a nondenominational faith-based ministry; our work was coordinated through UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief; and part of our work was done on Jerusalem Baptist Church.
Our days began with a cooked breakfast and a student-led devotional. Then we divided into four teams to be efficient in our work activities. Most of our work sites were picked by UMCOR from their carefully selected candidates for assistance. Because the flooded homes had no power, we needed to carry and maintain generators whenever supplemental lighting or vacuuming was needed. The job site supervisor from UMCOR was impressed with the effort our team applied and their willingness to do whatever was needed.
We were pleased to be able to meet most of the people whose homes we were reclaiming. They were openly grateful to have our help. One of our devotionals discussed St. Francis of Assisi and his passion for rebuilding churches. With that background, we were pleased to be invited to help restore Jerusalem Baptist Church. Their grand piano was completely ruined by the flood, but was left in the church as a reminder of destruction of the rising waters. The Sunday School superintendent from the church pointed out the height of the floodwaters, and also provided us with gasoline for our generator. The spirit of teamwork was very high everywhere we worked.
On our trip home, Alyssa Fordyce noted, “I touched so many people’s hearts and made new friends. I felt needed in life for a great cause.” These words capture the thoughts of all of us. The need is very great, and we were glad to be able to do our small part to help these individuals regain their homes and their lives.
If you would like to help reclaim Galveston, the following contacts may be helpful:
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance:
United Methodist
Committee on Relief:
https://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/
Good News Galveston:
https://www.goodnewsgalveston.org/
Eldon Sheffer is director of church relations at Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas.
