Walls up, walls down
By Tena de Jong

My husband Allen and I were privileged recently to volunteer with the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC), Disaster Response Services (DRS), to work on a reconstruction site in the mostly native village of Tanana, Alaska. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) worked with the assistance of CRWRC to provide aid for the community.

Tanana, an isolated community of about 300 people, was hit with a severe flood in May of this year, caused by a severe ice jam during the spring breakup. It was the worst disaster they had endured in over 70 years. The community is located on the banks of the Yukon River where the Yukon and Tanana rivers meet, approximately 90 miles west of Fairbanks, Alaska.

The majority of the homes in this village are built of squared logs. After the flood many homes were swept off their footings, twisting walls and ruining floors. Our teams were asked to repair 21 damaged homes, each having suffered one to three feet of water submersion at the flood's crest.

The first teams flown into this area, in mid-July, had worked very hard to get the houses stable on their footings again as well: reinforcing walls, installing new floors as needed, replacing insulation. Most homes here are built on legs to keep them above the ground, with its layer of permafrost two feet below the surface. Most houses are heated with wood burning stoves, some have plumbing, and most now have an oil fired furnace as a back-up for heat.

With our team being the last scheduled team before the winter sets in, we were asked to complete each of the 21 houses' repairs inside our two-week stay in Tanana. Within 10 days of arriving, we had accomplished that goal. I worked with another volunteer painting, laying tile floors, and doing seemingly-endless cleanup.

The men of our team were kept busy installing new kitchen and bathroom cabinets, finishing up the trim work inside and out, repairing or replacing front steps and hand railings and front patios. They also repaired or built new caches for winter food storage. New outhouses were built and delivered to owners who had lost them during the flood.

We had a chance, outside of our construction and cleaning time, to enjoy the fellowship of our hosts, seeing firsthand how they lived and how they prepared for the imminent winter. When we first arrived, we were told that most of the fishing for the winter was done. This community has about 600 dogs that are kept and used as sled dogs. The villagers feed the dogs fish during the winter, so they catch and dry thousands of fish for the dogs alone—about 100 fish for each dog for the winter. We also saw the moose hunt in full swing, as well as an involved search for firewood logs.

Tanana has a large school, an Elders Lodge, and a medical clinic. We had a chance to tour these, and the Elders Lodge invited all our teams to have lunch with them each Wednesday. They served us a delicious moose soup with fresh baked buns and barbecued moose.

CRWRC has over the years presented a specially designed wreath to many families whose homes were completed by the volunteers. In Tanana, we presented this wreath at a Last Nail ceremony, to be hung in the elders' residence hall. After our dedication of the wreath to the community, some of the local women sang and danced for us as an expression of gratitude.

Disaster Response Service's mission is to show God's love and bring hope to disaster impacted communities in North America, by restoring the homes and lives of those who are most vulnerable, help communities build their capacity to prepare for and recover from disasters, and to provide opportunities for Christians to honour the Lord by using their time, talents and financial resources in service to others. CRWRC's volunteers give of their time and talents to help clear debris, assess needs, and rebuild homes after disasters strike. These volunteers are affectionately known as "The Green Shirts" throughout many disaster-affected communities, and are well-respected for the quality services they provide.

For more information on CRWRC and volunteer opportunities in North America, visit www.crcna.org/pages/crwrc_drs.cfm. For international opportunities, visit www.crcna.org/pages/crwrc.cfm.

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