October 30, 2017

 

Dear Friends,

The magnitude of damage produced by Hurricane Harvey engulfed an area of 22,000 square miles. Hope Force International [HFI] teams were on the ground in Texas directly after Hurricane Harvey’s fierce rains drenched the coastline and beyond. Some areas received over 50” of water from the slow moving storm system, creating a secondary issue of standing water — unable to recede for days, and in some cases, weeks.

HFI teams spent four weeks in the greater Houston area, providing much needed relief to those overwhelmed by their situation.

A leading component to HFI’s response, post-disaster, is to try to find the areas that are overlooked and underserved. We seek out those places that haven’t been highlighted by news coverage, and often do not receive immediate assistance...if any at all. After four weeks in Houston, HFI’s search led to the small community of Vidor, TX. We were amazed to see the massive number of homes that had not yet entered the initial stages of cleanup.

We invite you to take a few moments to watch this compelling video of our team's efforts in east Texas.

Hope Force teams assisted survivors by doing the hard and dirty work of flood remediation. HFI Reservists removed drywall, insulation, flooring and cabinets as needed to allow the homes to dry out — helping to prevent further mold growth that is prevalent in warm and humid environments.

As the relief and recovery efforts transition into rebuild efforts, Hope Force is seeking to recruit volunteer labor in an effort to radically reduce the overall cost of rebuilding homes in Texas. The national average of labor costs in new construction projects is 30% of the overall budget; that percentage will be much higher in the rebuild process of affected homes in Texas.

HFI is looking for volunteers to join us who have construction experience and a willingness to serve others. In particular, those with carpentry, electrical and plumbing skills. Work will entail insulating, minor framing repairs, repairing drywall, painting and laying floor tile.

Dates*:

• November 5th-11th - Vidor, TX
• December 3rd-9th -  Houston, TX
• January 14th- 20th -  TX

* We will possibly be adding additional dates after the New Year to continue. 

If you are interested, please contact Joey Stoltzfus at 518-728-4440 for more details.

Come join us in working and praying hard as we take steps to do the most good possible – as quickly as possible.  Together, we can make a world of difference!