Flood Recovery for Saturday, May 8
Greetings all,
Today ended up being a much busier day than I expected. Several of you received very “last minute” texts and calls from me. Others of you might have noticed a couple of alerts coming over twitter. Thank you, once again, for all of you who have been working so hard in people’s homes. Thanks also to those of you have been supportive in other ways.
My friend Bruce made a suggestion to me today that I think would be very helpful. He suggested that the Sabbath be observed this Sunday, May 9th. What does that mean? It means that if you have emergency work that must be done this Sunday, then do it. But otherwise, if you can rest from your labors it would be good to do so. This especially goes for those who have been doing flood recovery. If it can wait a day, let’s let it wait.
Work on Saturday
Tomorrow, however, is not Sunday. It is Saturday, and we have some work to do. Here is what I know about currently. If you have other needs, please let me know or make them known on the blog.
7556 Rolling River Parkway, 37221 This is our special focus on Saturday, May 8th. There is plenty to be done, from preserving photos and books to getting under the house to bringing out cabinets. If you are coming, I would ask that you bring gloves, a breathing mask, grubby clothes, and some tools. Also, it is hard to get in and out of this area, so bring a lunch. I will be there at 10 a.m., and I hope many of you will join me.
1416 Mentelle Drive 37069 This home will have a lot of landscape work tomorrow. The flood washed away all their topsoil, and they are hoping to reclaim the land before things get worse. Also, there may still be some demolition work left to do here.
829 Sutton Hill Road 37204 will also be doing yard work tomorrow. The homeowner here has said that there are people in the neighborhood that are still doing demolition and salvage work, so be prepared to help with that.
I don’t have any specifics on the other homes we have been working on at this time. However, things have been coming up. So, please stay tuned to the blog. Even better, follow me on Twitter. I’m using both the church account, www.twitter.com/redeemernash and my personal account, www.twitter.com/thomasmckenzie I know that many of you don’t “get” twitter, and I’m not suggesting I do. But if you have an account and “follow” the church, especially if you follow by SMS (text message) then you will get updates directly on your cell phone.
Get at Tetanus Shot
If you have been doing work in flooded homes and have not had a tetanus booster in 10 years, get a Tetanus shot! They are readily available, and you need one. Yes, I’m going to get one, and I hate shots more than any of you do. Trust me.
Relief Fund
We have a designated fund set up at Redeemer. Every dollar given to the Flood Relief fund will go to help people in our congregation. You can bring a check on Sunday, or mail one in. Please write you check to Church of the Redeemer and MEMO it to “Flood Relief.” Then send the check to us at 920 Caldwell Lane, Nashville, TN, 37204
Very Important Contact Information
If you have been affected, I strongly encourage you to contact two organizations as soon as possible.
FEMA/TEMA
1-800-462-9029 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST Monday through Friday.
www.fema.gov
Red Cross
www.GraceWorksMinistries.net – 615-794-2174
104 Southeast Parkway, Suite 100, Franklin , TN 37064
Keep Records!
Very important for the homeowners or someone very close to help them:
- Create a Diary / Log that lists and documents every person who has given volunteer assistance, what they did (generally) and how many hours. We are still within memory of being able to capture this.
- With that list, organize by Job Categories: Debris Removal, Gutting, Cleaning out crawl space, demo wall etc.
- Attempt to assign the volunteers and their hours to the Jobs that were done by them.
(Besides using this log to write thank you notes someday....)
This can be a crucial thing to document to the Flood Insurance Adjuster. Each one of the jobs and tasks in cleaning out your house "would be" paid for by them if they had to hire someone as a part of your settlement (and there was sufficient coverage). The position to document is that you did the work and compensation should be made for that. Documenting the work helps to obtain the maximum compensation.
Information and Resources I Can Pass On
I have tons of information I can pass on to anyone who needs it. Since it will not apply to most people, I won’t put it here or on the blog. But if you would like access to this information or these resources, please contact me.
- If you lost a car and need one, I can at least two available for loan. Let me know.
- If you need a truck, I have a line on one you can borrow. Does not come with driver. Let me know, and I will give you the facts.
- Want to know how to preserve photos, I can pass info on to you.
- Tide “Loads of Hope” will be in Nashville on Wednesday to wash clothes for those affected. Watch the blog/facebook/twitter for their location once they are here.
- If you are replacing your HVAC, I have a line on a good 5 ton compressor that can be had at no cost. Let me know if you are interested.
- I have a sheet that tells you everything FEMA provides. I can pass it on.
- I have a lady who is offering an empty garage for storage. Let me know.
- There are some offers of people looking to donate furniture. If you have need now, let me know.
- Many people have offered short term places for folks to live. Please let me know if you need a short term solution.
Job Needed
A young lady, a sister of a member of our congregation, moved here last week to start work at the Opryland Hotel. Needless to say, she is out of a job. If you know someone hiring, please contact me and I will put you in touch with her. Thanks.
Service International,
a professional disaster recovery team, is in town to help homeowners who have suffered flood damage. Their work is free. If you want their help, you must register and complete release forms at Bellevue Church of Christ, 7401 Highway 70S. (The church is located across the street from Red Caboose Park in Bellevue.) The hours are 8:00 am - 6:00 pm. The work will consist of cleaning up, carpet removal, drywall removal and disposal of debris and is scheduled to begin on Saturday, May 8.
