FALL 2016 Behind the hammer

cover story — texas People who don’t call it quits 4

a spark away from disaster 8 all with one purpose 10 kansas unit continues tradition 12 Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) is a volunteer network of Anabaptist churches that responds in Christian love to those affected by disasters in Canada and the United States. While the main focus is on clean up, repair and rebuilding homes, this service touches lives and nurtures hope, faith and wholeness.

Our programs, funded by contributions, aim to assist the most vulnerable community members, individuals and families who, Mennonite without assistance, would not have ON THE COVER Disaster the means to recover. MDS volunteers MDS volunteer Service Stefan Penner — women and men, youth and adults — clears out burnt Behind the Hammer is published quarterly by provide the skills and labor needed to trees in Bastrop, Texas. Photo by Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) and is available respond, rebuild and restore. Andrew Huth. for free upon request. This magazine shares the stories of MDS work in the U.S. and Canada and of the more than 4,000 volunteers who are the core of MDS. The stories are meant to encourage people to cover feature — texas continue expressing the love of God through the People who don’t call it quits 4 work of MDS. feature — Executive Director: Kevin King A spark away from disaster 8 Editor: Mark Beach Contributors: Susan Kim, Andrew Huth, Jon Rutter, volunteer experience Kristin Troyer, Paul Hunt All with one purpose 10 Designer: Julie Kauffman Something different 11 Publication Coordination: Barb Weaver recipe — cooking for a crowd stay connected Sailing Brownies 11 If you have story ideas, need subscription information, want to make a donation or volunteer, unit in action — kansas please contact us: Continuing the tradition 12 Mennonite Disaster Service regions at a glance 13 583 Airport Road, Lititz, PA 17543 USA tel: (800) 241-8111 | (717) 735-3536 feature — west virginia A trail of generosity 14 fax: (717) 735-0809 e-mail: [email protected] q+a — brent troyer Mennonite Disaster Service The keeper of the fleet 15 (Canada office) safety tip 6A-1325 Markham Rd, Winnipeg, MB R3T 4J6 Canada Wear a mask 15 tel: (866) 261-1274 | (204) 261-1274 fax: (204) 261-1279 e-mail: [email protected]

mds.mennonite.net

2 behind the hammer director’s letter Let the lion roar. Are we raving mad?

This may be the “Director’s” corner of Behind the Hammer, but it is also a place where I step aside for a moment and share something from what I’ll call the “Volunteer’s” corner. Early this summer we received an inspiring, yet challeng- ing weekly report from our volunteers in Detroit. It appeared the phrase “muck-out” was taking on a deeper meaning. In late June the team wrote, “last week we mucked out and pressure washed a basement” which was inundated by 10 inches of water and sewage in the August 2014 flood. This is nothing new for Detroit volunteers. But then they wrote, “the despairing news this week is that the basement was once again full of water” … this time 12 inches of water. They mucked it out again. This experience led the writer of the report, Elyse Merritt, a Disaster Management Program student of Hesston College, to reflect on the ups and downs of life. The idea is of the taking of one step forward in faith and seemingly two steps backward, yet still holding to the faith. “God is greater than the mountains in life we may be facing,” she wrote. Or the mucking and re-mucking out of a family’s basement. “The idea is of the taking If a “muck-out’ were a mile, how many extras miles of one step forward in faith would we go for our brothers and sisters in Detroit, West Virginia, Texas, and elsewhere where folks have suffered and seemingly two steps from natural disasters? I believe we will muck it out again if backward, yet still holding that is what needs to be done. to the faith.” I also believe what Elyse points us toward when she quotes 1 Peter 5: 8-10. “The enemy, the devil, is prowling around outside like a roaring lion just waiting and hoping for the chance to devour someone.” The lion is going to roar, and we should not despair. Elyse wants us to have courage and faith. So I say, let the lion roar for we will not despair. To the current binational projects as of sept/ Oct 2016 world it may appear crazy to muck-out, then muck-out again. But then we will plug the hole. Elevate the houses, or where calaveras county, california we can, build on higher ground. Strengthen the walls. Secure the foundation. Bring hope again. detroit, michigan “It can sure seem like madness that God calls us to be greenbrier county, west virginia strong and rejoice in the midst of suffering,” Elyse and the lake county, california team wrote. “But He is our strength and support, and He will not let us go. God’s love came like madness through the saipan, north marianas islands life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and the life we live is west virginia bridges for Him and His glory. “It makes no sense, but this is grace.” rv projects in s. carolina + texas (Lyrics from the song “Madness” by Hillsong United) Amen to our sister Elsye and the Detroit team. You find updates at mds.mennonite.net inspire us all.

behind the hammer 3 For a great-grandmother in Bastrop, Texas, MDS volunteers are a sign that God will provide

People who don’t call it quits

Mary Owens, sitting at the kitchen table with her 8-year-old that affected her whole community. great-granddaughter Lia, is explaining why she feels nervous For Owens, this year’s flooding was a replay — only whenever it rains in Bastrop, Texas. worse — of floods that struck in May 2015. “This year, I had three feet of water in my house,” she “I’ve lived here since 2005 and I’ve never had water in said. “In the middle of the night, at 1 a.m., we had tornado my home until last year, when two rooms were flooded,” she warnings. So we got in the closet, and pretty soon, I thought: said. “This year, the water went all over.” what’s that coming under the door?” It was floodwater, streaming in — cold, muddy and multiple disasters, returning volunteers frighteningly fast. Bastrop, Texas has had such a string of disasters that many Lia, who lives with her great-grandmother, pauses as residents and responders have no words left to describe their she builds a Lego tower, which she has fastened to a set of misfortune. “After a while, you run out of things to say,” said wheels: “I thought I was going to drown,” she says. Carl Dube, who served in Bastrop as a project director for In what might be a defining characteristic of today’s Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) after a in 2011 great-grandmothers, Owens pulls out her flip-phone to that burned some 1,700 homes in the area. show some photos of the water cascading into her house the MDS volunteers rebuilt homes for three years after the night of the storm. Though dark and somewhat blurry, the 2011 fire, then the May 2015 flooding struck. That same year, pictures clearly portray one woman’s experience of a flood in October, as MDS crews were still working on burned and

4 behind the hammer Mary Owens, left, stands in her living room contemplating the flood damage to her home. Right, Indiana Amish youth remove trees from land scorched by fire in Bastrop, Texas. They are part of the MDS Summer Youth Project.

flooded homes, another wildfire broke out, burning an addi- which young people stay at a nearby campground while they tional 65 homes. Then, in May 2016, floods struck again. repair homes every day for a week. After driving 22 hours “The folks in Bastrop and the long-term recovery team, from Indiana, a group of Amish young people have arrived even the volunteers — they have become a very dogged at Owens’s house and, as far as she is concerned, these young and determined group of people,” said Dube, who grew up people are a sign that God, indeed, will provide. They are in Austin, about a 30-minute drive from Bastrop. “They’ve sawing out still-damp sheetrock, cleaning out mold that been through a lot.” has crept up behind the walls, and replacing the sheetrock Though the faces of project directors and volunteer teams before they paint. Owens, whose foot is in a supportive boot change, the heart of MDS is steadfast. MDS keeps coming after surgery, helps when she can. back, offering help and hope to people in the small rural “I went to Bible study last night and I told my pastor: towns of Bastrop and nearby Smithfield, people who don’t I’m so blessed I could pinch myself,” she said. A member of seem to be calling it quits anytime soon. Mount Rose Baptist Church, she said the floods and vol- unteers have made her think about what it means to feel what is contentment? content. “When you’re not content, you want more, more, This is the second time in a one-year span that MDS volun- more. Well, I don’t have any money. I don’t have a new car. teers have worked on Mary Owens’s home. This summer, But I’m happy with whatever I have. When it’s your time, volunteers are working here as part of a youth program in God will provide.”

behind the hammer 5 The folks in Bastrop and the volunteers have become a very dogged and determined group of people.

Lia, the great-grandaughter of Mary Owens looks on while MDS volunteers Dave and Johnny work to restore her bedroom. Caleb, a member of an Amish community from Indiana greets Mike, a Texas rancher. The volunteer group helped to clear away flood debris and downed trees along Mike’s fances. beginning again … and again As the young people, under the supervision of their crew leaders, fan out to different homes for their work, Sheila Lowe, executive director of Bastrop County Long-Term Recovery, discusses the needs in her community with Ike Epp, MDS director for the summer youth project. Lowe, headquartered in a makeshift office since her origi- nal headquarters flooded, looks at Epp from across her desk. “I love Mennonite Disaster Service,” she says. “They have been constant for us since 2011. It’s gotten to the point that, before we can pick up the phone, they pick up the phone.” Epp says he has heard people in the community talking about a form from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on which they check which disaster has affected them. He shakes his head. “There’s something wrong with this picture if you have to choose your disaster,” he says. Lowe replies: “It makes us sad when we have to see you again — but happy, too.” Recovery, a multi-layered one, goes on in Bastrop — and on and on again. For survivors like Mary Owens and Leah, life centers around the kitchen table, an island while their house is repaired around them. Eight-year-old Lia is thinking about the future. “‘I’m going to be a snake scientist,” she says. “Did you know the boa is the heaviest snake in the world?” As the sound of a volunteer’s hammer jars her back to the present, she simply asks: “How many more hours are you going to be here? How long will it take?”

6 behind the hammer Still time to laugh

The dozen young adults at the camp dinner table are laughing a lot. They joke about who has made the clumsiest exits from the top bunk, who has eaten the most snickerdoodle cookies, and who tells the tallest tales about the biggest fish they’ve caught.

They still have enough energy to laugh, even though their work for the day has involved hours of sawing up burned trees, then dragging the heavy trunks and limbs away in 100-degree south- central Texas heat. They cleared the yard for a homeowner in the small town of Bastrop, where and flooding in the past several years have devastated the community.

After dinner, Ike Epp, director for the summer youth project, asks the young people, ages 17-21, a serious question: “Why drive two days to work for five days?”

The young people have come from an Amish community in Shipshewana, Indiana, and a driver has transported them in a van for 22 hours, with one night spent in Arkansas on the way. They will work for five days, helping people affected by fires and floods repair their homes, clear out their yards and try to find hope while bearing the brunt of repeat disasters.

John, a young man who laughingly told a tall tale earlier, is one of the first to answer: “This is the way I wanted to spend my vacation,” he said. “It’s so much better than sitting around and doing nothing. Once I went to Florida, and we sat around and looked at the sun. I thought I’d go crazy.”

His peers nod their heads in agreement. His peer Hannah reflects that she values “the fellowship and excitement of doing something.”

Between the 22-hour van ride, working all day together, sleeping in bunk beds in RV trailers at the Wilderness Ridge Camp, and eating every meal together, the young people have gotten to know each other quite well — “too well,” they say together, and laugh again.

behind the hammer 7 Rogue wildfires like those around Pateros, Washington, are becoming more common across the West and Midwest.

A spark away from disaster

The first wave of wildfire missed Michelle Carfagno’s and destroyed hundreds of homes in central Washington. homestead up in the brushy hills above Twisp, Washington. More than 30 miles down the from The second rolled down a ravine and engulfed the two-tier Carfagno’s round log home, Pateros Mayor Carlene Anders structure. remembers the wind howling at 70 mph. Fire hose dissolved Carfagno had spent years creating the environmentally in the 100-degree temperatures. Ten percent of the little friendly house out of logs she’d fetched from a nearby forest town was lost. and peeled with a drawknife. “It was a work of art,” the river guide recalls wistfully. Leaving was wrenching. As the inferno closed in July 18, 2014, Carfagno and her neighbors fled for their lives down the steep gravel road. Wildfire is a sad, familiar story in the West. And more recently in the mid-West. But there’s a panicky modern spin: Fires are burning bigger, hotter, longer. Climate scientists say they could fore- shadow worse nightmares to come. One nightmare continues for the thousands of residents who fled the Fort McMurray, Alberta fire at the end of April. The image of cars dodging fireballs and sun blocking ash MDS investigates the wildfire damage in Fort McMurray, Alberta. were seared to newspaper front pages. Only a few months earlier in Medicine Lodge, Kansas, “The drought, the high heat, the winds — in 30 years I flames swept across the plains from Oklahoma, creating the had never experienced that kind of fire,” says Anders, a fire- largest wildfire in Kansas history and one of the largest in fighter and pioneering female smoke jumper in the 1980s. U.S. history. You got a sick feeling, “Oh my gosh, what are we gonna do?” During 2015, wildfires scorched thousands of acres of The answer, in 2015, was fight an even bigger blaze. land and destroyed homes in Lake and Calaveras Counties Last year’s Okanogan Complex disaster torched more in northern California. Fires also raged through rural than a half-million acres and demolished the state’s 2014 Bastrop, Texas. record. Rolling smoke again blotted the sun to ash. Rivers Carfagno’s fire, the Carlton Complex Fire, was the most flowed red with fire retardant. Three firefighters died when terrible in living memory. It scorched some 256,108 acres flames overran their vehicle near Twisp.

8 behind the hammer Left: MDS volunteer, Jerry Friesen of Albany, Oregon, talks with Michelle Carfagno of Twisp, Washington, about the construction of her new home.

Such rogue fires are shocking. But scientists say the cat- ecosystem are helping, he adds, “but we need to continue alysts have converged like trails to a spring. The cataclysms this work and expand it across the West.” are happening for clearly understood reasons. The Okanogan County Long Term Recovery Group and A century of fire suppression has stoked the mountains other advocates are pushing the government to help local with tinder. Drought has dug in across the West this century, departments quell small fires before they blow up. drastically shrinking snow packs, stream flows and desiccat- “We can’t allow firestorms to develop,” says Anders, the ing soils. Insect pests have flourished. Countless swaths of OCLTRG executive director. dead, gray trees now stain Western forest vistas. Up in the Twisp hills, Mennonite Disaster Service Climate researchers at these and other institutions warn workers from Oregon, Washington and Canada are build- that unchecked human carbon emissions dramatically ing a new house for Michelle Carfagno. They’ll cap it with a increase the chances of a decades-long Western “mega- fire-resistant metal roof and wall it with HardiePlank fiber drought,” unseen for 1,000 years. cement siding instead of wood. Even in the short term, predicts Drew Peterson, a U.S. After 2014 and 2015, Carfagno and her neighbors hope Forest Service wilderness ranger based in Bend, OR, wild- the smoke and flames never return. “We’re all kind of tired fires will worsen. of fires,” she says. “It’s an all hands on deck deal,” he says of the smoky, dirty, rewarding work of fighting fires. Still, “We can’t always fight. We aren’t big enough to control some of these inci- dents in the manner we used to.” And now, fires increasingly overcome towns and devel- opments leaving behind a smoldering toxic aftermath. When an MDS team visited Fort McMurray in June they were confronted by a June “snow” sprayed over the fire’s toxic footprint to keep the ash at bay. But there’s at least some good news. Says Peterson: “I think we are getting smarter and realiz- ing that excluding fire from our forests for the last 100 years has played a major role in the intensity of fires we see today.” Prescribed burns to cut fuel and bring back fire to the

behind the hammer 9 “Other people saw my gifts even when I didn’t believe they were there.”

ALAN KAUFFMAN

MDS volunteers in Detroit: Alan Kauffman (left), Logan Peachey (below), Christy Kauffman (right)

“We are to be servants, and each servant has a task to build on the foundation of Jesus,” he explained. For Kauffman, these words have a personal meaning; he has seen people watering and planting in his own life. “I was called to ministry at the age of 15, but was way too volunteer experience introverted to think I could follow that call,” he revealed. “Other people were thinking of watering and planting and All with one purpose saw my gifts even when I didn’t believe they were there. I realized that if God was calling me to be a pastor, then God “The one who plants and the one who waters have one wanted me. There couldn’t be a mistake.” purpose,” according to 1 Corinthians 3: 8-11. The verse con- Now, as pastor of Maple Grove Mennonite Church, he tinues, “They will each be rewarded according to their own feels privileged to help others by noticing their gifts. He labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s knows from his own experience that having someone help field, God’s building. By the grace God has given me, I laid carry burdens can make all the difference. a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building “We need those people and need to be those people on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can in the lives of others,” Kauffman shared. “We need to be lay any foundation other than the one attentive because some gifts aren’t already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” immediately obvious.” Alan Kauffman (Belleville, PA) shared On MDS sites, Kauffman found these verses with his fellow MDS vol- the tangible presence of Christ in unteers during the week of June 6-10 in the fact that there are good peo- Detroit, Mich., expressing that each per- ple wherever you go. Jesus was a son has their own gifts to offer; as God’s servant leader and this work calls fellow workers, Jesus’s spirit lives in us. each person to emulate that; each Kauffman was sharing these thoughts person does their own work to lay a at the morning devotions, part of the foundation in Jesus. daily MDS volunteer routine of packing So, the devotion ends and the lunches, eating breakfast, and sharing volunteers set out for another day devotions before setting out on a day of responding, rebuilding and of work. restoring.

10 behind the hammer cooking for a crowd

volunteer experience

Sailing Brownies Something different FROM THE KITCHEN OF EVELYN TURNER When Renate and Stefan Penner got married in Germany 1 cup butter a few years ago, “we asked ourselves: what shall we do with 4 squares unsweetened baking our lives?” said Renate. “Everybody is just working and chocolate having kids. We wanted something different.” 4 eggs Stefan wanted to strengthen his English language skills 2 teaspoons vanilla by living for a year in an English-speaking country. “First we 21/4 cups sugar looked at the places we could go, and we saw that Mennonite 1 3/4 cups flour Disaster Service was accepting young people from all over Walnuts to taste the world for one year,” said Renate. “No other program Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt would take couples.” chocolate in a large microwave-safe dish, The couple, who had not heard of MDS before applying, adding butter just before the chocolate have Mennonite roots. Stefan’s grandparents were among is totally melted; melt the butter and the Russian Mennonites who moved into Germany a few stir. Let it cool just enough to not cook generations ago. the eggs. In mixing bowl, beat eggs and In their year with MDS, Stefan spent time repairing and vanilla. Gradually beat in sugar, then rebuilding homes while Renate worked in MDS offices set chocolate mixture. Gradually add flour up on various disaster work sites. The couple worked in and nuts. Bake in a 9”x13” pan about 35 minutes. Let them cool and then frost. Lusk, Wyoming; Jamestown, Colorado; Detroit, Michigan; Cut into 24 pieces. Pateros, Washington; and their last stop, the 100-degree heat of Bastrop, Texas. Tip: Evelyn recommends ready-made As Stefan looks ruefully at where the sun bleached the frosting. Sour cream chocolate, mocha and hairs on his arms white, Renate laughs at his expression. fudge are popular flavors she has used. She has mixed feelings about returning home to northern Why are they called Sailing Brownies? Germany where, she said, “everything will be the same.” Evelyn says a friend of hers loved to sail But Stefan, a man of few words, simply smiles, saying: but didn’t have a sailboat so had to rely “I’m ready.” on invitations from others to go sailing. Interested in volunteering? mds.mennonite.net Apparently, if you bring these brownies along, you’ll always get asked to come back.

behind the hammer 11 /////////////// It’s still about reaching out to help neighbors, friends and church members devastated by disasters.

////////// unit in action Kansas Unit continues the MDS tradition

Carole Stucky, MDS Region 3 Board Co-chair, reflects on Thirteen Amish & Mennonite volunteers responded on the service of the Kansas Unit. June 4 with other community neighbors to clear the farm field of all the debris. The goal was to make it possible for It’s a familiar and oft-told story. In 1950 a Sunday School this family to replant this year’s crop almost immedi- class in Kansas planted the seed of Mennonite ately. Volunteers worked with the homeowners Disaster Service. The rest is history. that day, learned part of their story, and Now, nearly three generations on, the shared lunch. MDS Kansas Unit continues the tradition The First Mennonite Church in of that original Kansas Sunday School Newton, Kansas, agreed to sponsor the class, reaching out to help neighbors, building of a Partnership Home Project friends and church members devastated for the Emperatriz Nuñez family who by natural disasters. live in Wakefield, Nebraska. The family The past few months of 2016 have of eight were first displaced from their been particularly busy for the Unit as they mobile home in Wakefield after 2014 tor- respond to wildfires, tornados, floods and nadoes that destroyed Pilger and surrounding helping a family build a new home. areas. The family was able to live in the basement On May 14 and 21 in Medicine Lodge, Kansas, unit of a restaurant they own and operate, and then later pur- members replaced several miles of destroyed fencing from a chase another home. Sadly, this home was destroyed by fire massive wildfire on March 22. The fire began in Oklahoma leaving the family homeless again. and spread to southern Kansas. It was considered the largest Children, youth, men, and women from several local wildfire in Kansas history. congregations provided labor to build walls and floor joists On May 18, an EF4 tornado narrowly missed several together at the church parking lot. The work began on towns in central Kansas, but unfortunately caused serious Tuesday, June 7 and by Sunday the house was assembled. damage to a number of homes and farms in rural areas near The home was dismantled and delivered by truck and Chapman. On one of the farms, a home and farm buildings on-site construction began June 27 in Wakefield. were leveled. The farm equipment and irrigation pivots were After more than 65 years of MDS work, the Kansas Unit also destroyed. The irrigation pivots were just replaced after continues to express the love of Christ as the Sunday School a 2008 tornado destroyed them. group originally decided to do in 1950.

12 behind the hammer see back cover for details of regions at a glance upcoming regional meetings

region 5 — canada response to Typhoon Soudelor which enabling the new units to respond to the devastated the island in August 2015. many disasters occurring in the state. carmacks, yukon territory ///////// northern california ///////////////// arkansas unit /////////////////////////// The Alberta Unit rebuilt and dedicated Plans are in place for binational proj- The Arkansas Search and Rescue Team a home in Carmacks for a client whose ects, in Lake and Calaveras Counties, responded to recovery efforts for a house was destroyed by fire. to open in October. Wildfires drowning victim and a hiking accident. rock creek, bc ///////////////////////// destroyed 1,500 homes in Sept. 2015. sulphur, ok /////////////////////////// MDS volunteers worked with Habitat region 3 — u.s. midwest The Oklahoma Unit responded to a for Humanity and other organiza- tornado that struck the Sulphur area tions to rebuild a home in Rock Creek medicine lodge, ks on May 9. They provided cleanup work destroyed by fire. //////////////////// Volunteers replaced several miles of alongside Christian Aid Ministries. camp likely, bc ///////////////////////// fencing that had been destroyed in the region 2 — u.s. central A Summer Youth Project (SYP) took Anderson Creek fire. place at Camp Likely July 3 – July 29. chapman, ks clarksdale, ms Youth and their adult sponsors built //////////////////////////// ///////////////////////// new cabins and worked on camp main- On May 18, 2016, an EF4 tornado In early March heavy rains triggered tenance projects. hit many homes and farms outside floods in Mississippi. MDS Early of Chapman, KS. On June 4, 13 MDS Response Teams from Region 2 manitoba + ontario /////////////////// volunteers responded with neighbors responded in Clarksdale. Between May Family projects were open July 17– to clear a farm field of all the debris so 9 and June 3 volunteers worked a total Aug. 12 at Camp Assiniboia near replanting of crops could begin. of 1,846 hours on 22 jobs. Headingley, MB, and Silver Lake wakefield, ne detroit, mi Mennonite Camp near Sauble Beach, /////////////////////////// ////////////////////////////// ON. Families constructed cabins and First Mennonite Church in Newton, A Summer Youth Project operated worked on other camp maintenance. KS, built a home in Wakefield, NE, for June 20 to Aug. 12 in Detroit. Youth a family that was displaced by a 2014 and adult sponsors worked on flood fort mcmurray, ab //////////////////// tornado. The new home, built through repair and clean up. Five Hesston An investigative team visited Fort the Partnership Home Program (PHP) College Disaster Management interns McMurray in June and is working with was expected to be completed by Sept. worked in Detroit May 16 to July 8. local authorities on a timeline for an bastrop, tx MDS response. Fort McMurray was ////////////////////////////// region 1 — u.s. east coast heavily damaged by a wildfire and A Summer Youth Project operated June 26 to July 22 in Bastrop, TX. thousands of residents were evacuated. greenbrier county, wv /////////////// Youth and adult sponsors worked on Flash floods hit West Virginia June 23. region 4 — u.s. west coast flood repair and tree removal and Twelve counties were FEMA-declared clean up. disaster areas. MDS Early Response kamiah, id /////////////////////////////// Teams from Region 1 responded, eureka, ks /////////////////////////////// Region 4 and the Idaho Unit began the Tornados ripped through southeast cleaning up homes and properties in construction of three homes in July. Kansas July 7, causing widespread hard-hit Greenbrier County. The homes were destroyed in August damage in Eureka. Local MDS and sutton, wv 2015 by wildfire. ////////////////////////////// community volunteers responded. The Casselman Valley (MD) Unit saipan, nmi ////////////////////////////// rebuilt a house in Sutton, WV, that texas units ////////////////////////////// A Region 4 project began on the island Tools and trailers were delivered to was destroyed by fire. The house was of Saipan (a Commonwealth of the Texas East and Texas West Units in July, completed and dedicated at the end of United States) on Sept. 5. This is a the summer.

behind the hammer 13 “They have been standing by us from day one.”

GLENNA BUTTS

A trail of generosity in West Virginia

The floodwater in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, While visiting the civic center, Stoner met a couple who rose to an unnavigable level in just ten minutes on June 23. had about 50 RVs for rent. Since the annual Greenbrier From the front window of her home, on her 78th birthday, Classic golf tour was canceled because of the floods, the Glenna Butts watched her street fill up with water that took couple donated their RVs — along with lots to park them her car with it. at the West Virginia state fair grounds — to MDS for two “I stood here and watched my car go down in the creek,” weeks. Volunteers from early response teams have stayed in she said, standing on her front porch while volunteers from the trailers ever since. The couple has continued to charge MDS work inside her house. “Then we went out with rescu- half the normal fee as MDS teams keep working. ers on ropes.” West Virginia’s recovery is still in an early phase, Stoner The rescuers pulled Butts, her daughter, and her 14-year- explained. “Some people need debris picked up from their old great-granddaughter to safety through the rushing houses, some need insulation pulled, some need to check current of floodwater. “The rescuers lost me,” she said, “but crawl spaces for water. There are 1,300 names on the crisis someone grabbed me and lifted me out. They thought I had cleanup list alone.” a heart attack but a current of water hit the back of my legs Stoner returned to West Virginia a few weeks ago with and I slipped and went down.” Kevin King, executive director of MDS, to continue to Rescue workers took the three women to city hall. “We assess the needs. As they drove the six hours from the MDS put on dry clothes that people had brought, and we had headquarters in Lititz, Pa., to White Sulphur Springs, they some snacks people had donated. Then we called my sister stopped for breakfast in Harrisonburg, Va. When the people to come get us.” But they were stuck, at least temporarily. behind the counter at the bagel shop found out what MDS The roads leading into town were washed out. “For three was doing, they donated a box of bagels to be delivered to days, they fed us on the street. Hot meals — hamburgers the volunteers. and hot dogs. Everybody in White Sulphur Springs has been “There is a trail of generosity wherever you go,” reflected great and so has the love from other states.” King. When Butts noticed MDS trucks at a neighbor’s house, MDS both attracts and leaves behind a trail of generosity, she got the phone number. Since then, she said, “there have agreed Anne Dean, Butts’s sister-in-law. After witnessing the been maybe 50 or 100 volunteers working in my house — work MDS has done in the wake of the flood, she made a and not a rude one in the bunch. They have been standing donation to MDS and inspired her mother to make a dona- by us from day one. They even brought us bread. How can tion as well. we repay you?” And the trail of generosity continues. On August 7, Larry Stoner, MDS regional operations coordinator, gives donated ground was broken near White Sulphur Springs her the answer: “You don’t have to.” Stoner visited the town for the construction of 42 new homes to be built in part by a few days after flash flooding took 23 lives and destroyed Lancaster County, Pa., Amish Storm Aid teams and MDS. hundreds of homes in West Virginia and Virginia. These homes will go to residents who lost theirs in the “Looking around the town, there was just so much flooding. While MDS is only one part of a state-wide effort, destruction,” he said. “I’ve never seen destruction this bad the effort is bringing hope to those who suffered in the from a flash flood. Just so much water.” June floods.

14 behind the hammer safety tip #2

q+a a wear The keeper of the fleet m a s k Brett Troyer answers some questions about the large fleet of equipment he manages.

Q: what is a fleet and logistics manager? A: My job consists of managing equipment distribution, repairs and maintenance, and purchasing and selling vehicles.

Q: what vehicles and equipment make up mds’s fleet? A: 34 trucks, 15 RVs, 12 passenger vans, 12 bunk trailers, 10 cargo trailers, 9 minivans, 8 hauling trailers, 7 dump trail- ers, 6 semi tool trailers, 6 mobile homes, 4 shower trailers, 4 office trailers, and 3 kitchen trailers. Wear the proper respirator for the envi- ronment where you are working: Q: how are the pick-up trucks used on sites? A: The trucks are taken from site to site by volunteers. dust mask Once they get there, they are used for volunteer and material For use in areas that have particulates or transport. dust—insulation, drywall dust, cement.

Q: how long does mds keep a truck? n-95 mask A: MDS keeps trucks for about 10 years, and the average For use in areas with good air circulation truck has probably been to 10-15 sites by the time we sell it. (outdoors, or a space with windows and air flow) when working with dust, mold Q: where do vehicles go when they aren’t on sites? or fumes. A: We have two warehouses where we store equipment that isn’t currently being used—one at our office in Lititz and one half-face respirator in Columbus, Mississipi. Our busiest months are in winter— For use in enclosed spaces (like base- January, February, and March. During these months, our ments) when working with dust, mold or fumes. equipment is spread much thinner than in the slower sum- mer months. For example, in July of 2016, there were only four sites open, each with seven to ten vehicles. That left about 20 vehicles being stored in Columbus or Lititz. But in February, the busiest month, there were 11 sites open, with be each site again having seven to ten vehicles. That left only to just two trucks in the Lititz warehouse and none in Columbus. wear to clear need filter you to mask it a air breathe the you before

behind the hammer 15 Mennonite Disaster Service

6A-1325 Markham Rd Winnipeg, MB R3T 4J6

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Join us for the MDS All Unit Meeting s o m e o n e c a r e s February 10–11, 2017 Asheville, NC

www.mds.mennonite.net

upcoming region 5 board meeting regional Oct 21, 2016, Winnipeg, MB meetings region 4 annual meeting Sept 17, 2016, Boise, ID

region 3 annual meeting Nov 18, 2016, Kalona, IA

region 2 annual meeting Oct 28, 2016, Holmes County, OH

region 1 annual meeting Sept 23, 2016, Chambersburg, PA The paper used is 50% recycled paper.