More Volunteers Needed in Igor Aftermath

Additional volunteers are needed to help in the clean-up and rebuilding of homes that were damaged by Hurricane Igor, which blew over Canada's remote Newfoundland and Labrador provinces in lateSeptember, says Bill Adams, director of Disaster Responses Services (DRS) for the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC).

"Dozens of homes have already been cleaned up, sanitized, and sometimes repaired, but the number of requests for assistance is growing almost as fast as others are completed," says CRWRC regional manager Tony DeWeerd. "More volunteers and more funding are needed."

In recent days, CRWRC-DRS volunteers have been assisting with clean up and repair of more than 100 homes damaged by powerful winds and torrential rain.

"While CRC congregations in the region have been sending volunteers and supporting them, CRWRC can with additional donations, provide more volunteers to help address the growing need for clean up and rebuilding," says Adams.

The vicious tropical storm flooded homes, washed out roads and bridges, and stranded thousands of residents in dozens of communities. The Bonavista Peninsula was hardest hit. Damage from heavy rain, debris, fallen trees, and erosion was widespread.

CRWRC's response to Igor is focused in on the rural, low-income community of Catalina, where many residents are older adults who have few resources to repair damage to their own homes or help each other recover from the devastating storm.

DeWeerd says that volunteers who are assisting with clean up and repair are mainly from congregations in the CRC's Classis Eastern Canada. CRC members from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island were recruited by Dick Van Oord, CRWRC area manager from Fredericton, NB.

Adams adds that CRWRC managers will continue to work with other denominations in the next few weeks, including the Presbyterian Church in Canada, to determine whether there will be sufficient financial support to deploy additional volunteer work teams in the coming months to help residents meet longer-term rebuilding needs.

CRWRC is also collaborating in Newfoundland with Samaritan's Purse, Mennonite Disaster Service, and the Salvation Army in the response.

To support CRWRC's response in Newfoundland*, donate online: US | Canada

*select "Hurricanes 2010" from the Disaster category