Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Iowa-Day 2

I guess I put these in the wrong order. This pic was taken at the end of the day as we began to put the tools away. This picture is from the front bedroom looking into the living room. Everything had to be removed, bedding, appliances, furniture, clothing. Day two was spent pulling down the ceiling lath and plaster, also finishing the walls to prep them for pressure washing tomorrow. We were all very tired. At the 10:30 water break it was difficult to begin working after resting. The temperatures rose higher than yesterday and we were physically drained. Trying to remember to work smart and pace ourselves. We were able to interact with the home owner who arrives daily to talk and sort through items pulled out. Several family members stopped by to look and talk describing the loss of a family homestead. The home had been passed down 4 generations. They are uncertain wheather they will be able to repair as money is not as available from FEMA as was on the Gulf Coast. I talked with Shirley, the homeowner who gave us the 20.00 yesterday. She cried on the phone as she thanked us again for helping. She is handicapped and couldn't come to the home. She said she was so grateful, stating, "You'll never know how much I appreciate this."
Aaron posing as he complete an awesome move of pulling down the tin ceiling in the kitchen. What a mess. Water rose to the second floor and receded, depositing water which waited for the group from MS to pull down the ceiling and pour water on the volunteers working in the kitchen.
Entry to the basement. A dirt floor that was filled with sewage. We had to go down into basement and pull out the washer, dryer and other items. This part had to have been the nastiest part of the work. I'd trade 4 roofs (shingling them) for one muck out. At one time I swipe a bunch of the slimy junk off the top of the washer and almost became ill. Keri was down there for several hours yesterday.
A picture of one of the basement walls after debris removed. It was very small, dank, and scary.
Day two pile of debris on the side of the yard awaiting pick up from FEMA. We still have more to pull out and drag to the street.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

“Ray, people will come Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom………. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray………… It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.”