Volunteers help with flood cleanup

Fourteen volunteers are using First Baptist Church of Delta as a base of operations for Samaritan's Purse, a faith-based ministry that spent two weeks helping Piedmont, Mo., residents rebound from the floods.

Lloyd Blackwell, Samaritan's Purse program manager, said the volunteers are helping homeowners from Allentown to Cape Girardeau clean up flood damage and haul debris to curb and roadsides for pick up.

"We'll tear out drywall, insulation and carpet," he said. "We'll spray a bleach solution on the walls to help prevent mold."

He said most calls have come from Dutchtown and Allenville, with single calls from Chaffee and Cape Girardeau.

"What we try to do is help home- owners who cannot help themselves, whether they are elderly and can't do it or younger, but don't have insurance," he said.

The volunteers spent two weeks in Piedmont, one of the communities hit hardest by flooding. Last year Blackwell led volunteers on eight disaster-relief missions; just last month, Samaritan's Purse wrapped up a two-year post-Hurricane Katrina project, helping rebuild homes in Kiln, Miss. Blackwell said his team would be in Delta for at least one week and is still accepting projects.

"We'll go out and get an address, do an assessment," he said. "We have to get the homeowner's permission, get stuff signed where we can get on their property."

To register for Samaritan's Purse help, call the church at 573-794-2478; 573-794-2745; or Blackwell's cell phone, 828-406-6462; or e-mail the Rev. Eric Hodge at eric@fbcdelta.org.

pmcnichol@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127