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In a joint project with the Christians
Organized for Relief Efforts (CORE) group, 10 men and 4 women from Tolar
Baptist traveled south to provide assistance in the cleanup effort in
Galveston, TX. The quick trip started on Thursday evening, November 14,
2008.
On Thursday and Friday nights, they slept in
classrooms set up as temporary dormitories at the Gloria Dei Lutheran
Church in Nassau Bay that serves as a base for the CORE relief group.
The CORE group of volunteers provided meals for the group in the
church’s cafeteria.
Our Heavenly Father truly blessed this effort with
safe travel and no injuries during this difficult physical labor.
Figure 1. Pick up of equipment and
supplies at the Gloria Dei Church. The CORE group was very efficient
and well organized for this work.
Figure 2. One of the houses in Galveston
the group worked on. In order to remove the threat of black mold, all
fixtures, flooring, and interior wall cover below 4 feet had to be
removed and piled on the edge of the street.
Figure 3. After removal and cleaning all
floor and wall surfaces had to be sprayed with a bleach solution.
Figure 4. After
spraying, the bleach solution had to be rubbed on each surface by
scrubbing with a brush. Respirators were required to be worn at all
times because of the risk of black mold.
The group was able to complete this cleanup process
on two houses by working several hours on Friday and Saturday.
There were other groups staying at the CORE
headquarters with in addition to our group that were working at
different locations in the disaster effected area. One group was from a
church in Memphis, TN. There was a group of young people from England
and California.
This was an eye-opening experience at the amount of
damage and devastation that has been inflicted on our neighbors to the
south and the hardship they are experiencing as they continue to live in
this community.
Figure 5. Picture
of severe structural damage to the Flagship Hotel on the Galveston
Seawall a few blocks from the houses we worked on.
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