May 10, 2013 | 12:23 p.m.
LONDON MILLS, IL —Our disaster response teams have returned from the upper Midwest where they focused primarily on debris removal. The teams worked with local government agencies in London Mills and Marseilles, Illinois, to determine needs and fulfill work orders. The work consisted mainly of clearing flood-damaged homes and basements of debris and destroyed furniture and appliances.
We also provided loads relief supplies to Kokomo and Elwood, Indiana. “Convoy of Hope brought a ray of sunshine in the middle of a pretty dark time for our town,” says Rebecca of London Mills in an interview with the local CBS affiliate.
April 27, 2013 | 5:30 p.m.
LONDON MILLS, IL — Disaster relief work continues in London Mills and Marseilles, Illinois, where our Disaster Services teams are working to bring hope to flooded out residents. In London Mills, the team has removed debris from a number of homes and has plans to help clean more homes in the coming days.
“We’re basically removing everything destroyed by the floodwaters including personal belongings, carpeting and wet Sheetrock,” says Ryan Grabill, a team member on the ground. “We’re going to continue our door-to-door canvasing to ensure that no one is missed.”
The team has also been working alongside volunteers from the American Red Cross and the Illinois National Guard. “When Convoy of Hope came in and told us everything they do, we started crying because, who thinks of London Mills?” said resident and volunteer Lori Kugler. “It’s just so much for a community like ours to be remembered.”
In Marseilles, the field team has been working with local officials and focusing efforts on two badly damaged homes where the homeowners are in great need of help.
April 25, 2013 | 3 p.m.
MARSEILLES, IL — Our Disaster Response team in Marseilles, Illinois, received work orders today, and a volunteer team of four from Praise Center Assembly of God (Ottawa, Illinois) is assisting in the completion of the orders. In addition to receiving work orders, the team attended a City Coordination meeting this morning.
The team in London Mills, Illinois, learned that of the 44 homes affected in London Mills, 12 have been condemned. Many of the affected homes had flooded unfinished basements. Neighbor has been helping neighbor, and much of the debris removal appears to be completed. In light of this, the team is going door-to-door today to see who still requires help. A load of supplies has already resourced the town, and there is no need for additional supplies with the potential exception of diapers and baby food. The team is speaking with the state Emergency Operations Center to identify another town to which a box truck full of supplies can be re-routed.
April 24, 2013 | 1 p.m.
MARSEILLES, IL — One of our Disaster Services teams has arrived in Marseilles, Illinois, and immediately began passing out beverages, snacks and cleaning supplies to residents whose homes have been flooded by the Illinois River.
“Our main focus today is offering support to the people of Marseilles who’ve been affected by the flooding,” says Nick Weirsma, one of our team members on the ground. Weirsma says that 230 homes near the river were flooded and that residents are beginning the long process of cleaning up.
“We’ve already seen some homes that were damaged extensively by the floodwaters,” he said. “Some have been completely destroyed. We’re beginning to see people pile their carpet and other damaged belongings on the curb.”
The team in Marseilles will begin focusing on forming debris removal teams with local volunteers. We are also contacting churches in surrounding communities to coordinate volunteer teams in the area. An additional team conducted assessments in De Soto, Missouri, today and have re-routed to heavily damaged London Mills, Illinois, after determining local officials in De Soto already had effective relief plans in place.
April 23, 2013 | 4:05 p.m.
The Mississippi River has overflown its banks and flooded homes in small Missouri and Illinois towns – and we’re on the way to help flooding survivors. Our initial response team left our World Distribution Center today with debris clean up materials, food and other supplies and are headed to the flooded communities of De Soto, Missouri, and London Mills and Marseilles, Illinois.
Also, a truck full of beverage and snack items, as well as three vehicles carrying debris removal supplies such as shovels, trash bags and bleach are expected to be in the affected communities within hours. An additional truck will depart later today or tomorrow morning. Karen Benson, Global Disaster Response Director, says the teams will be on the ground working with local and state officials to coordinate volunteer efforts and assist in clean up.
“Our goal is to have small teams in place with our response vehicles to they can move around quickly and respond where necessary,” she said. You can help people affected by disasters like this flood, at home and around the world, by making a donation to support Convoy of Hope.
