New disaster rebuilding project to start in Poquoson, Virginia.

The Church of the Brethren Emergency Response program will begin a project in Poquoson, Va., in early February. Poquoson was one of the coastal communities struck by Hurricane Isabel in September. The hurricane caused extensive damage in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Delaware, and Washington, D.C.

Emergency Response/Service Ministries (ER/SM) volunteer project directors will include Harold Hubbell, of Greeneville, Tenn., who will be on site in early February to set up the project; Bob Schnepp, of Beaverton, Mich., who will be the initial project director; and Bob and Marianne Pittman, of Blacksburg, Va., who will direct the project in March. The work will include typical flood repair such as floors, insulation and drywall replacement, carpentry, and some roof repair due to fallen trees. Volunteers will be housed in the fellowship hall of the Lifesource Community Church in Hampton, Va.

Groups scheduled to help with the project in February and March include district volunteers from six districts and students on spring break from Juniata College, Huntingdon, Pa., and Virginia Tech.

Two other disaster recovery projects have been completed recently. A tornado recovery project in Massac County, Ill., was completed Dec. 13, with a total of 106 volunteers serving four families over a span of three months repairing storm-damaged homes. Northern Ohio District also completed a short-term flood response project in which 23 volunteers completed home repairs for five families.

Source: Newsline 1/16/2004
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