World Renew DRS Responds to Flooding in Detroit

World Renew Disaster Response Services (DRS) is organizing to help Detroit residents clean up from recent heavy rains and flooding.

DRS is making plans to deploy a trained clean-up team in areas affected by the storm on Aug. 11.

The rainfall total was the second-highest one-day rainfall on record for Detroit, behind 4.74 inches that fell on July 31, 1925, according to the National Weather Service.

“With the downpour, the Rouge and Clinton rivers in Detroit, Michigan, overran their banks,” says World Renew DRS Director Ronald Willett. “By Monday, some local roadways were under 14 feet of water and Wayne, Macomb, and Oakland counties were declared a state of disaster by the governor.”

Since then, World Renew DRS Regional Managers Doug and Pat Guikema have been reaching out to Christian Reformed and Reformed churches in the affected areas and staying in communication with local communities and officials to continue to determine response needs.

The historic rain left churches, businesses, and homes with significant damage, Pat Guikema said. “Nardin Park Reformed Church is one example—not only did their church basement completely flood, but water was also standing on the main level,” Guikema added.

“We found that they and many others are trying to figure out what to do next…. We’re thankful to be part of the solution through World Renew DRS."

When World Renew DRS makes plans to send a Rapid Response team into a flood zone like that in Detroit, they identify and activate a group of trained volunteers who work on removing muck and treating buildings for mold prevention.

"It's important for water damage to be treated properly and in a timely fashion so mold doesn't set in," Willett says. "World Renew DRS is not a stranger to responding to flooding, and we will do what we can to help those in and around the Detroit area recover from this event."

Donations to “Spring/Summer storms 2014” will be directed to the flood response in Detroit as well as any other severe storms this year.  The funds will be used not only help with the initial response, but also allow World Renew DRS to help throughout the recovery process.