Community in Middleburgh, NY

Angels do walk on Earth

This thank you card is on the Main Street in Middleburgh for all to see.  The Catholic and United Methodist churches have been feeding those in the community who are in need for what ever reason every other night.  Those helping in the kitchen at the Methodist church appreciated the meal of chili, cornbread, and apple bars that was sent down by the SUMC New Circle.

At the end of the day the Volunteer in Mission team surveyed the jobs that are assigned for the weekend group that will be coming on Sunday from SUMC.  We are excited about having more help and some young people to give us more energy.  There is so much work to be done.  All kinds of help are needed.  

 

A Day with Jackie

 Jackie took the bus from Cobleskill to meet her volunteer "angels".  She appreciated the prayer shawl from the SUMC Creative Hands ministry.

It wasn't long before she was working with the volunteers to remove damaged floors and wall board from her house.

John continued to remove flooring while Jay removed the hearth and the molded sheet rock behind the hearth. 

Cathie continued to remove sheet rock and wet insulation with help from Jay and John when muscle was required. 

John's impressions after working in Middleburgh

As a first time visitor to the flood damaged Schoharie Valley, I was really struck.  At first, with the homes and businesses still standing, things don’t look that bad.  Furniture at the curb, some dumpsters, messes piled in the streets....that could be expected.  I worked with you for the day, on a home in the early phase of recovery, that still resembled a home, with a few pieces of nice furniture inside. 

 

Jackie had a lovely older home above the creek, and shared with me her fond memories of life along that beautiful stretch of water. It was sunny yesterday and the beauty of the place was certainly there, even with the still muddy water flowing by. The Schoharie appeared to have risen about 30 feet above normal level to have created the water line on her windows....a unimaginable 500 year flood. The creek is not hemmed in by man-made structures there, there is a big flood plain, so the amount of water flow necessary to do this is hard to conceive in the mind.  This was not the annual Schenectady Stockade Flood.

 

At the end of the day though, we visited a home that was nearly ready for reconstruction, and that was the most devastating.  In order to get rid of sources of mold or wet material, the home had been gutted down to the studs, and it looked like the exterior siding would also have to come off, to remove the wet sheathing under the siding.  Kitchen cabinets, bathroom fixtures, silt-filled heating ducts, wallboard of course....all gone.  Inside, you can look straight through the whole house wall to wall.  It looks almost normal from the street, but it is an empty shell.  Except for the roof, framing and windows, the owners are faced with building a new home and then furnishing it.  And winter will arrive too soon.

 

I was pleased to see local churches down there serving as volunteer coordinators, but so much more is needed. 

John O.

A sunny breezy day in Middleburgh, NY

Sorry, no pictures today.  I left the camera at home.  Jay, Cathie, John O., Donna D., and Jen D. returned to Middleburgh.  Our assignment for today was to help Frank and Marion by removing the shower and do more mud and wet insulation removal.  Frank and Marion were there working with us.  There is so much to do.  It helped to be able to open the windows and get some fresh air moving through.  We got the shower loosened but will have to wait for Frank's plumber friend to release the drain so it can be removed.  It was hard to say goodbye to Frank and Marion for now because they have so much more work to do.  However, they do have friends to help and resources.  They thanked us for helping at a time when they were overwhelmed.  Marion said we gave them hope.  When we return to Middleburgh, we will stop by and visit.
Also Pastor Carol introduced us to Jackie who is a senior and who's home was flooded.  She has been living in Cobleskill so has had trouble connecting with the help available in Middleburgh.  Jay, Cathie, and John went with her to her house.  She needed help with applying her mask and learning that she could talk with it on.  It is not safe for her to be in her house without one.  She is also hard of hearing so it is hard for her to communicate and listen when she can't see the mouths of those speaking to her.  We realize that the masks make it difficult for us also.  (We are seniors.)  Her home has been devastated by the flood as she lived next to the Schoharie Creek (looks more like a muddy rapidly flowing river).  We discussed with Jackie the need to remove the lower cabinets in her kitchen in order to get at the walls.  In addition, her hard wood floors had buckled.  John stayed with her to begin on the floors.  Jackie cleared the counters so that her kitchen could be torn apart.  She thanked us for coming.  (We go and serve and give hugs.)
We all got together for lunch at our host church, Middleburgh UMC.  Later in the afternoon, we took out her lower kitchen cabinets finding water and mold behind them.  In addition, we took out most of the flooring that John had removed. 
Jackie was so glad when a man stopped by with a truck to remove the many contractor bags from her street side.  Unfortunately we filled the space up again with parts of her home.  There is so much more work to do.
Pastor Carol called Jay again and asked him to check on another home to see what was left to be done.
This home had mountains of debris in the yard.  Much had been clean out inside but there was mold on the ceiling fans and one of the ceilings.  The crawl space below the floor was dark with no visible means of ventilation.  The heating ducts had not been removed.  They are probably filled with wet mud.  There is so much work to do.  Jay will report back to Pastor Carol.  Next week she will send teams of volunteers out into the community again to find out how the families are progressing.
We are amazed by the way the community is working together.  There will be a parade in Middleburgh this Saturday which is an annual event.  At the end of the parade, there will be a banner that says "Good night Irene".  Please pray for this community.
Our team will be returning to Middleburgh next Wed., Oct. 12.  Please join us.  Contact Jay Dunklebeger at jdunkleb@nycap.rr.com or 518-371-7071.

Alabama Tornado Relief Planning

The team got together for a planning and orientation meeting on Oct. 4th.  Team members include 3 from Shenendehowa UMC, 2 from Burnt Hills UMC, 3 for Nimmonsburg UMC, 2 from First Schenectady UMC, 1 from Community Church of Cohoes, and 1 from Trinity Church in Wilton.  We are looking forward to helping the people of Jackson and DeKalb counties rebuild after the devastating tornados last spring.  From Oct. 23-29, we will be working with teams from other denominations and from other parts of the country.  We will be hosted by the Asbury UMC in Fort Payne, AL.  We will go, serve, and find other Altars in the World.  Even though we leave our comfort zones, we will find new friends, learn new ways to serve, and take time to live our faith.  Please pray for our team.

A wet day in the flood zone - God is there in Middleburgh, NY

Frank and Marion are tired homeowners.  They are devastated by damage caused by the flood, and by the fact that the people they hired to do the clean up didn't finish the job.  Now as we work beside them, they are watching the walls of their first floor being removed to a dumpster.  (There are 1-3 inches of wet mud at the base of the walls between the studs.) We are careful to consult with them during the process so that we don't throw out moldings they wish to replace.  The biggest challenge is to be able to move the pocket doors so that the mud can be cleared from around them.  We haven't achieved that yet. As we find treasures in the walls of this house that was build in the late 1800's, we make sure that Marion and Frank get them.  Most importantly we listen to their stories and their pain.    

 Our team: Jay and Cathie D., Dave F., Aimee T., and Wayne W. from Shen. UMC and Barbara. P. from Jonesville UMC.  Barbara reflected, that of all the Volunteers in Mission trips she has been on in the U.S., Nicaragua, and Cuba, this one has touched her the most, because she feels like she is helping a neighbor.  Between down pours we were able, with Frank's help, to get the heavy black contractor bags off their front lawn and into the dumpster.  We leave the wonderbars, shopvac with hepa filter, crow bar, and shovles that were donated for the VIM trailer with Frank and Marion because another team from Albany District led by Paul Bresslin will be coming tomorrow.  We will return next Wednesday.  Pastor Carol Coltrain will have an assigment for us and Pastor Jeff from Middleburgh UMC will welcome us again.  As Jay and I leave, the community begins to arrive for their supper provided by the church. 

If anyone wants to help with the meals, please contact Gloria Gebhardt at Middleburgh UMC 518-827-7940 or 518-827-4440 or Pat Costello at Our Lady of the Valley 518-231-6870.

If you would like to join our VIM team, Contact Jay Dunkleberger at jdunkleb@nycap.rr.com or 518-371-7071.

Planning for Wed. Sept. 28 in Middleburgh

We will be going back to the same house to work on removing lower walls and cleaning out the mold.  Jay has received donations of 3 shovels, construction bags, 3 flat wonder bars, and 1 pry bar from Home Depot.  So far we have 5 volunteers and could use more.
We will also be taking teams down Oct. 5 and 12
Contact Jay at jdunkleb@nycap.rr.com or 518-371-7071.