Assessment Day

Protected from both wet feet and the hot, tropical sun, today we set about finding homeowners who need volunteer assistance ready for the influx of willing workers on Friday. Paddling around a flooded subdivision of Cagayan de Oro we found a hive of activity. People were busy doing what they could; hauling mud to the street in buckets, hosing down floors and cars, fishing possessions out of the soupy mess the water left behind, washing and bleaching water damaged bedding.

We found plenty of people who’d be hugely grateful for assistance with removing warped, moldy wooden ceilings, wall panels and kitchen cabinets as well as hauling ruined possessions, scrubbing dirty floors and pulling up rotting lino. Many people in this community are elderly and cannot manage these things themselves. Others are physically and mentally exhausted having been working to get back into their homes for a month. In the coming weeks our volunteers will be able to work with these families and restore these buildings to a livable condition, helping people out of emergency and temporary shelters and enabling them to go home.

I hope everyone who’s applied is looking forward to coming home smeared in filth and smelling of sludge – it’s going to happen!