A Reflection by Theresa Weinman, a member of the Journey United Church of Christ on our day of service in Schoharie, NY.
On a recent sunny Saturday morning a committed group of volunteers from Journey UCC & SUNY Albany met in the early hours to begin a service day to help our neighbors in Schoharie. Most of us had watched the news and had heard some difficult stories from friends who had already volunteered and thought we were pretty prepared for day. We gathered in the Journey parking lot to share coffee, donuts, load up our tools and take a few minutes to discuss sensitivity and safety. The ride to Schoharie was the same as any other ride until we were about 15 minutes away from our destination. Only then did the damage to houses, businesses, and trees become apparent. It was then that I began to wonder if I was truly prepared for what was ahead. A few of us headed off to Howes Caves to help a friend of mine put together the pieces of her medical practice. Her practice of 30 years sat steps away from her home and her patients traveled from several towns away to see their family doctor. Her practice was completely destroyed by the floods and her building condemned. She lost her building and everything inside. Her home, just around the corner, took on water well into her first floor. She is determined to restore her home and it was humbling to see her strength and determination. We gathered the various office supplies, items she sent to us in an email wish list, and the guys loaded and unloaded dozens of boxes of damaged and disorganized medical records for her 1,000+ patients. As we loaded her newly donated office chairs, computer, fax machine and other misc items, I was struck by how grateful she was. She didn't complain that everything she had worked for over the past 30 years was gone and she was getting used and discarded items from others - she was just thankful we were there. She didn't seem to mind that she was relocating far away from her home and no longer had an entire practice - but would have 1 small room to work out of. She was putting one foot in front of the other, leaning on her friends and was sincerely moved by the generosity of strangers. I left grateful that we truly helped her in a few short hours - and frustrated that we couldn't do more.
Our next stop was to regroup with the rest of the Journey/UAlbany team in Schoharie. As we tried to join in with the rest of the team, it was clear that they had already had a few hours to take in the scene on this once beautiful street. While from a distance it looked almost "normal" as you got closer you saw the impossible water lines just below the second story windows and my mind struggled to comprehend that the water could have truly engulfed these homes to their second stories. Many had only 20 minutes to take what they could and assumed they would return to clean up flooded basements. It must still be hard to comprehend what happened to their home, their neighborhood, their entire community. Never having been a part of this process before, Pastor Sandy gave me the run down on my face mask, goggles and hammer. Before I knew it, I found myself smashing through living room walls, shoveling what was left of their kitchen into buckets and watching with sadness and pride as this group of volunteers took these rooms down to their shell. I watched as our team went from moments of laughter and camaraderie to moments of sadness - stepping out on the front porch to catch their breath and process it all it. I think working alongside the homeowners was .......Difficult. Heartbreaking. Humbling. Overwhelming. Inspiring. While we were ripping out walls and floors, they watched their lives being dragged out to the curb, as trash. One man told us how his brother was a Marine and had a whole wall full of photos, medals and honors. Not one of them survived the water - his entire history lost. As we scrapped the metal shovels across the wood floors, shoveling out the wet insulation and sheetrock, he told me his sister-in-law never let him wear his shoes on her wood floors. The sound of the shovels scrapping across those same floors must have been hard for him to stand. The incredible lady down the road whose floors were completely rotted all the way through, insisting that her house could be saved. She took us, room by room, to show us the path of the water and tell us what "used to be here" and what "used to be hanging there." She was most upset that she lost her son's handprint from kindergarten that was hanging on the wall. I'm sure our experiences are only a shadow of the desperation, heartbreak, anger and frustration that is running through so many neighborhoods. Yet this was not a negative experience. I came away in awe of the resilience of the homeowners, proud of my friends and Journey members who continue to walk the walk - not just talk the talk. Impressed that a group of SUNY students would give up their entire Saturday to work HARD. Of the woman Sarah - who runs a command center in the middle of town, placing thousands of eager volunteers in homes in desperate need of their hard work, power tools and compassion. One woman has accomplished what our government could not - she brought those in need together with those who needed to help. I am grateful for the opportunity to help in this small way and I hope that the needs of this community will not fade away when other news stories take precedence. These families are going to need our labor, love and support for many months to come. Let's not let them down.
Our next stop was to regroup with the rest of the Journey/UAlbany team in Schoharie. As we tried to join in with the rest of the team, it was clear that they had already had a few hours to take in the scene on this once beautiful street. While from a distance it looked almost "normal" as you got closer you saw the impossible water lines just below the second story windows and my mind struggled to comprehend that the water could have truly engulfed these homes to their second stories. Many had only 20 minutes to take what they could and assumed they would return to clean up flooded basements. It must still be hard to comprehend what happened to their home, their neighborhood, their entire community. Never having been a part of this process before, Pastor Sandy gave me the run down on my face mask, goggles and hammer. Before I knew it, I found myself smashing through living room walls, shoveling what was left of their kitchen into buckets and watching with sadness and pride as this group of volunteers took these rooms down to their shell. I watched as our team went from moments of laughter and camaraderie to moments of sadness - stepping out on the front porch to catch their breath and process it all it. I think working alongside the homeowners was .......Difficult. Heartbreaking. Humbling. Overwhelming. Inspiring. While we were ripping out walls and floors, they watched their lives being dragged out to the curb, as trash. One man told us how his brother was a Marine and had a whole wall full of photos, medals and honors. Not one of them survived the water - his entire history lost. As we scrapped the metal shovels across the wood floors, shoveling out the wet insulation and sheetrock, he told me his sister-in-law never let him wear his shoes on her wood floors. The sound of the shovels scrapping across those same floors must have been hard for him to stand. The incredible lady down the road whose floors were completely rotted all the way through, insisting that her house could be saved. She took us, room by room, to show us the path of the water and tell us what "used to be here" and what "used to be hanging there." She was most upset that she lost her son's handprint from kindergarten that was hanging on the wall. I'm sure our experiences are only a shadow of the desperation, heartbreak, anger and frustration that is running through so many neighborhoods. Yet this was not a negative experience. I came away in awe of the resilience of the homeowners, proud of my friends and Journey members who continue to walk the walk - not just talk the talk. Impressed that a group of SUNY students would give up their entire Saturday to work HARD. Of the woman Sarah - who runs a command center in the middle of town, placing thousands of eager volunteers in homes in desperate need of their hard work, power tools and compassion. One woman has accomplished what our government could not - she brought those in need together with those who needed to help. I am grateful for the opportunity to help in this small way and I hope that the needs of this community will not fade away when other news stories take precedence. These families are going to need our labor, love and support for many months to come. Let's not let them down.
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