Et cetera : AmeriCorps members help after Mouse River flood in ND

AmeriCorps members based in Vinton helped ND flood victims.

On May 18, 2012, AmeriCorps NCCC team Maple Six, arrived in Minot, North Dakota to assist Lutheran Disaster Response with mucking, gutting, power washing and sanitizing homes that were affected by the June 2011 Mouse River Flood. The team's main priority for this project is to serve the vulnerable population (i.e. elderly, disabled, low-income, single parent, uninsured, underinsured homeowners) who lack the resources they need to get back into their homes and their goal is to complete 25-30 houses before their project's end date of June 25.

The team's contribution is being added to Hope Village's 2012 Summer of Hope goal of restoring 250 homes to livable conditions and their efforts were recognized by Governor Jack Dalrymple who made a visit to the Recovery Warehouse on one of the team's workdays.

Corps Members are witnessing, first-hand, how much disasters can affect an entire community and they are beginning to understand the importance of their mission as they meet various homeowners and work alongside those who are volunteering at Hope Village (Minot's volunteer and disaster survivor food and housing base). So far, they have worked on ten houses and met volunteers from six different organizations. With 15-20 more houses to go to meet their goal, Maple Six is pushing forward with Minot residents in mind as they make their mark.