10/15/2024
Friends, I'm looking for people to go to Lakeland (ish), Florida with me.
Jayme Sinsmyr, another missionary from Haiti, lives there, and the community she lives in got severely flooded in the storm.
This community is over 100 mobile homes, with mostly elderly residents. She and her husband are trying to help, but there is too much to get done.
This first trip will be primarily looking for salvage/dry out what is recoverable. Hopefully, with some demo work, we can save some houses that need dried out before mold takes over.
We will also use this trip to scout and advise on what else needs done.
I want to leave ASAP, possibly by Thursday, but am thinking a 2nd vehicle could wait until the weekend before joining me next week. That way, there is at least a couple extra days to report back and gather materials/tools as needed.
The exact schedule for most of the team is TBD, but it would be great if we were all on site M-F next week at least.
There is floor space in a church to sleep, and it sounds like the kitchen will be functional after some cleanup.
Currently, utilities for water, sewage, and electricity are down, so anyone who comes should expect to be roughing it.
If you are interested in joining, reach out to me.
We will need to collect donations of:
-Fans, especially "floor blowers"
-12V Batteries and 12V battery chargers, and small power inverters, to keep the fans on until electricity is restored.
-Battery powered tools, especially sawzall and circular saws, and blades for them
(I know we'll have Rigid 18V, Milwaukee 18V, and Ryobi 18V systems already)
-Face Masks
-Food items to support the team, which do not require refrigeration and can be cooked with propane.
-Gallon size bottles of White Vinegar
-Rubber gloves
-Face masks
-Clothesline
-Dehumidifiers would be great once power is restored
-Extension Cords
Items that could be returned once utilities are restored:
-A Generator or two
-"Solar" Shower bags, if anyone has that we can borrow until utilities are back up, that would be amazing.
This list will keep growing as I think through what is happening.
Tagging people that I know are interested:
Daniel, Chris, Luke, Brad, Matt - Please spread the word.
