Nail Ceremony Marks New Beginning

When hurricanes strike, the impacts can often be felt for years afterward. Jeff’s story is a great example. He had been living with his sister since Hurricane Harvey destroyed his Dickinson, Texas home in August 2017.

There was so much damage to his home following that storm that he wasn’t able to live there for most of the last two years. The walls, floors, bathroom fixtures, and kitchen cabinets were all torn out and needed to be replaced. Jeff was not able to make those repairs on his own.

World Renew Disaster Response Services (DRS) is committed to working alongside disaster survivors like Jeff throughout their recovery. They opened a long-term reconstruction site in Dickinson in November 2018 and began working on repairing homes, including Jeff’s.

Many homes were still in need of major repairs two years after Hurricane Harvey hit Dickinson. For example, World Renew DRS volunteers spent six weeks working on Jeff’s home before it was finally move-in ready.

To help Jeff celebrate the completion of his home, the last group of volunteers gathered together for what is known as a “Last Nail Celebration.”

During this long-time World Renew tradition, volunteers and others from the community celebrate a completed home by dedicating it to God, and asking for his blessing on those who enter.

When it was time to celebrate with Jeff, the crowd included staff from a World Renew DRS local partner called Galveston Count Recovers as well as Jeff’s relatives, friends, and neighbors. They came to celebrate as World Renew DRS volunteers prayed a blessing over Jeff’s home, gave him a handmade quilt and a family Bible signed by volunteers, and helped him hang a wreath ot remind him about how much he is loved by God and others.

Jeff was grateful for the gifts and pleased with the restoration of his home. And yet, as Jeff’s disaster recovery story is coming to a close, others are just starting to see a glimmer of  hope in their future. 

Right now, World Renew DRS is assessing the needs of communities that were affected by Hurricane Barry, a category 1 storm that came ashore in Louisiana on Saturday, July 13, 2019.

After making landfall, Barry was downgraded to a tropical storm but continued to dump nearly two feet of rain on the U.S. Gulf Coast, causing heavy flooding and knocking out power for thousands of people.

World Renew is accepting donations to assist the residents of Louisiana, particularly those who are left most vulnerable in a disaster such as Hurricane Barry―the elderly, disabled, and low-income families. Please consider donating today.

 Would you like to help repair a home for a disaster survivor? Visit worldrenew.net/drs to learn more and find volunteer opportunities.