Et cetera : Cedar 6 Gets Things Done In North Dakota

By: Casey Kearney and Shane Eazor

AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) team Cedar 6 was called away from a Cedar Rapids community development project to assist in flood recovery efforts in Williston, North Dakota. Williston along with many other towns in North Dakota has been experiencing a record high water table which caused water to flood the basements of many residents. The team is assisting residents who are physically or financially incapable of making necessary repairs themselves.

Cedar 6 is working under the guidance of Lutheran Disaster Response removing water saturated carpeting and other furnishing from basements. Once the water is removed they inspect the area for mold which they either remove or sanitize. They have been removing mold by cutting out dry wall that has shown signs of growth. After the team confirms that all traces of mold have been destroyed they sanitize the entire basement with a bleach mixture to prevent any future growth.

The team has finished work on about 13 houses in just over one week on the job. The work has been surprisingly necessary since mold is often found hiding in houses already professionally visited. It is especially important that the house is saved and safe for habitation because a housing shortage in Williston due to the oil boom. Housing is so limited in the town that oil workers new to the area are living in tents and man camps.

The work of AmeriCorps NCCC has been so appreciated by the homeowners that even the local media caught wind of their presence and featured the team on the nightly news. Cedar 6 has only a little over a week left in Williston and with the knowledge and skills they are developing they hope to double their accomplishments in their remaining time.