UPDATE: THANKSGIVING

With Thanks...As winter creeps in on Iowa, and cold weather tamps down most of our flood recovery, and as Thanksgiving approaches we have an opportunity to reflect on blessings, large and small, and give to thanks...so, on behalf of the many Iowans you all have helped with gifts of money, flood buckets, cleaning materials, blankets, pampers, wheel barrows, and much, much, more, and those who were able to travel to Iowa and help with mucking out, yard clean-up, and rehabbing efforts, for your ongoing prayers and for your emails and phone calls of concern and offers to help, I thank you and give God thanks for you. There are also many who are not known to us, or at least me, who helped with gifts of money sent directly to Episcopal Relief and Development.

I am personally thankful for the wonderful, dedicated, hard working folks who coordinate flood relief and recovery in their local community and out of local parish churches. Folks like: Lisa Butler and Paul Feussel (Cedar Rapids), Maureen Doherty (Waverly and Cedar Falls), Liane Nichols (Cedar Falls) Katharine Nicholson and Anne Tanner (Iowa City/Coralville), Cathy Bascom (Des Moines) and Cathy Benkin (Louisa and Des Moines Counties). I am also thankful for the help and support of Abagail Nelson and her staff at Episcopal Relief and Development, and special thanks too, to all our friends from the Diocese of Louisiana: Nell Bolton who has been a wise counsel to me, and Connie Uddo, Pete Nunnally, and Katie Mears who came to Iowa and helped us jump start our work and ministry, and of course Bishop Alan Scarfe and the staff here in the Diocese of Iowa and all the parishes and congregations that responded to the "All Hands" weekends in July and who have supported this ministry with their donations and their presence.

Stories...There are so many stories I could tell from these past few months...and each of our local volunteer coordinators can tell you many, many more...I wish space would allow us to share these stories in full and how your generosity has touched so many lives...

Like Rusty in Waverly, Iowa...who not only lost his home, but has had to jump through hoop after governmental (local and federal) hoop, who has lost his job and is being threatened with foreclosure, but still he gives of himself to help others in need. And I wonder how many times his story is repeated around Iowa?

Or, like the Wilsons from Gulfport, IL who just these past few weeks or so have just started 'mucking out' after literally running from impending doom in mid-June! And yet, though they have lost just about everything they owned, are able to look around and consider themselves lucky since others lost much more.

Or, like Jim and Phyllis in Cedar Falls, who though facing many obstacles, like the loss of their small business, a motel converted into studio apartments catering to low income folks, and their own home's flood damage, are slowly rebuilding the motel so that their displaced residents can return 'home.' There is very little financial help for this family from FEMA or the state.

Unmet Needs...And then there are the stories of those who come under the heading of 'unmet needs,' hundreds of folks who lost their homes, jobs or businesses because of the flooding but don't qualify for government assistance because they were renters, or whose financial situation is such that they don't qualify for SBA or other loans...at one time this Fall these 'unmet needs' totaled somewhere around $18 million and its probably even more now.

In the days ahead...Just this week a Cedar Rapids city official estimated that losses in Linn County (Cedar Rapids) alone are in the billions. I was stunned, but if we focus on such a large picture we can become discouraged very quickly. So we are doing what we can as we can on a scale we feel will be most helpful...our future plans are:

1. The Shady Rest Motel...we are making the rehabbing of the Shady Rest Motel (see attachment) a special project...here we can focus some resources (time and material) to help the owners but also bring home those who were displaced...

2. The Episcopal Tool Chest...we are putting together a tool trailer that volunteers who are helping with rehabbing can use next spring and summer...the trailer will have power tools, safety equipment, hammers, and other rebuilding tools and supplies, the trailer will be light enough so that most vehicles with a hitch can tow it to a work site...when we're done with it, we'll be happy to share it with others...

3. Financial support for local Long Term Recovery Committees (LTRCs)...we are using some of our funds to help local groups plan and execute their own recovery efforts...

4. "Helping Hands and Hearts" - our plan for a work week in Galveston, Texas assisting in Hurricane Ike recovery, scheduled for mid February 2009 (leaving Iowa around 11 Feb and returning at the end of the following week)...I have been in touch with Maggie Immler in Galveston and we're on her calendar, so look for more information in the next few weeks...

There are other things we are doing as well, like three congregations in the flooded areas preparing to offer their space for volunteer 'dormitories,' we are also now in the process of accepting volunteer offers of help for the Spring and Summer.

And so we keep at it, whittling away in any way we can, attempting to bring hope and to rebuild lives one dollar, one nail, one panel of sheet rock at a time. Your past help and interest is greatly appreciated. Any thing you can do in the days ahead will be gratefully received.

Again, on behalf of Iowans and the Diocese of Iowa, our thanks for all your support. May each of you and those you love have a blessed Thanksgiving and a Holy Advent.

Blessings,

Pat Genereux, Coordinator
The Diocese of Iowa Office of Disaster Relief and Recovery
and Episcopal Relief and Development: Midwest Flood Relief