Volunteers come from all over to help with flood cleanup

Because Jesus came to heal, they’ve come to help.
Baptist and Methodist church groups are lending a hand to families who must clean out their flood-damaged homes in Monkey Run.
Just about everyone in the tight-knit community along Highway 79 south of Hannibal was affected by the high water.
Volunteers “have been doing a tremendous job,” said Monkey Run resident Sarah Kurz. “I don’t know what we’d do without them. There’s so much work that needs to be done.”
Christina Herren’s garage served as a lunchroom for workers Thursday. Food was provided by Douglass Community Services and Ralls County residents.
Herren and her father performed a pre-lunch concert as a sign of their gratitude.
“It’s been a blessing,” Herren said of the volunteers. “They came to us and asked us what we wanted. They’ll do anything.”
For their part, workers have taken time off from jobs or postponed retirement projects to help.
The volunteers represent St. Mark’s United Methodist Church of Murfreesboro, Tenn., the American Baptist Men from Missouri and Illinois, and Americorps.
They strip flood-damaged houses, but don’t make repairs. Residents who don’t have flood insurance could be eligible for federal assistance or a buyout.
Don Rogers of the American Baptist Men said the work is rewarding.
“We helped a lady who didn’t know where she was going to turn,” Rogers said. “She said, ‘Boy, am I glad to see you guys.’”
Rogers said he’s used a chainsaw many times, but it wasn’t until he came to Monkey Run that he had to use one indoors to remove stubborn floorboards.
“That was a unique experience,” he said.
Paul Webb, an American Baptist Men team leader, described the work as “fun.”
“We enjoy helping people,” Webb said. “That’s what we’re here for.”
The volunteers, who are among several faith-based and non-profit groups helping with flood relief between LaGrange and Annada, planned to be in Monkey Run through the end of the week.
Here are other flood-related developments:

FEMA centers closing
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will soon close three of its four disaster recovery centers in Northeast Missouri.
The Kahoka center will shut down July 28, followed by the Hannibal and Clarksville centers at noon on Aug. 2.
The center at the Winfield-Foley Fire Station on Highway 47 west of Winfield will remain open indefinitely.
“People may still apply for assistance,” said FEMA spokeswoman Carmen G. Rodriguez. “They have until Aug. 27.”
Applicants may sign up in person at Winfield or call FEMA’s toll-free hotline at 1-800-621-3362.
Help also is available by logging on to www.fema.gov.

FEMA at the fair
FEMA will offer post-flood rebuilding advice at the Pike County Fair near Bowling Green.
The booth is in the fair’s commercial building. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
The experts will advise people on steps to prevent future flood damage and can answer questions about the National Flood Insurance Program.
“Mitigation information is helpful to everyone, not just the victims of flooding,” FEMA spokesman Michael Karl said in a statement. “Now is an ideal time to incorporate disaster-resistant measures.”
While the advice is free, admission to the fairgrounds each day is $15 for adults and $12 for children ages 4-12.
The fair is along U.S. Highway 54 just east of the intersection of U.S. Highway 61.

Canton floodgate
Two bids, ranging from $4,735 to $4,900, were opened Thursday for removal of sandbags near Canton’s Route B floodgate.
Mayor Joe Clark said a contractor will be chosen and the work should be done by the end of next week.
“We also hope to have the gate removed so we can open the highway to traffic,” he said.
Bids likely will be sought next week to remove thousands more sandbags, as well as plywood, plastic and steel fenceposts, that remain atop the three-mile-long levee that kept floodwaters out of town.
The city also plans to replace a picnic shelter at heavily-damaged Mississippi Park, but has re-opened the area to campers.

LaGrange buyouts
A meeting to discuss flood buyouts in LaGrange is set for 6 p.m. July 30 at City Hall.
The buyout program, also called hazard mitigation, requires communities or counties to apply. FEMA does not take individual buyout requests.
Local governments must identify which properties are to be bought and provide an estimated cost.
The program is voluntary. so landowners do not have to participate even if their neighbors join.
The federal government pays 75 percent of the bill and local governments pick up the rest.
Once a homeowner accepts a buyout offer, closing takes an average of 45 days. New construction is banned forever on buyout land.
More information about buyouts is available at www.sema.dps.mo.gov.

Clarksville sandbags
The Clarksville Board of Aldermen voted Thursday to seek bids for sandbag removal.
The contractor that’s hired will only remove bags from city property or public rights of way.
Residents can move bags from private property themselves or put their bags at the curb for contractor removal.
Meawhile, workers continue to clear debris from the post office on Front Street.
The building had about 30 inches of floodwater in it, and postmaster Dennis Parsons estimates repairs will take about a month.
Clarksville residents are sending and receiving mail from a former dentist’s office at 301A S. Third.
“It’s an inconvenience,” Parsons admitted. “We’re kind of cramped, but we’re getting by.”
Parsons said things would have been much worse if Clarksville residents had not helped move the post office.
“They saved us,” he said. “They deserve a big thanks.”

Burlington bridge
The Great River Bridge at Burlington re-opened July 18, but one-lane traffic will continue for some time on the Illinois approach.
Floodwaters still are lapping at a 1,000-foot gravel passage that’s been built on U.S. 34 so that traffic can get through.
Signal lights are in place, but motorists are advised to use other routes, especially at peak driving periods such as early morning and late afternoon.
“We’ll do what we can to get it back to normal as soon as the water goes down,” said Shane Larson of the Illinois Department of Transportation. “It could be several weeks or a month.”