Representatives from the Mennonite Disaster Services (MDS) were in town this week meeting with the Haines Long Term Recovery Group and residents whose homes were damaged or destroyed by the December flooding and landslides.
Regional Board Chair Michele WhiteEagle said Mennonite volunteers typically repair or rebuild the homes of those most in need.
“Mennonite Disaster Services wants to help those who would not otherwise be able to rebuild for financial reasons,” Region 4 Vice Chair John Eshleman said. “We’re looking for the most vulnerable.”
The recovery group selected affected residents who met with MDS staff. MDS staff will ultimately decide if impacted residents meet the criteria for volunteer assistance. If so, MDS and the recovery group will then figure out how to pay for building materials and other costs.
“We know the needs will exceed our current resources,” recovery group co-chair Sara Chapell said. “We’re committed to developing a plan to meet the needs of survivors so they can rebuild. It will be a heavy lift, but we’re confident in the generosity of this community throughout Alaska and beyond.”
As of this month, the recovery group has helped to manage the dispersal of nearly $1 million in individual assistance needs including food, rent and mortgage payments, mental health support for the uninsured, driveway grading, debris removal, home repair and rebuilding to more than 100 households impacted by the December storms.
Mennonite volunteers would come to assist in rebuilding next summer at the earliest, MDS regional board chair Michele WhiteEagle said.