Samaritan's Purse Accepting Volunteers for Binghamton Flood Relief!

I was very happy to hear that Samaritan's Purse is working in the Binghamton area after the massive flooding that occurred on September 7-9, 2011. SP is one of my favorite organizations (they also run Operation Christmas Child) and they are diligent in being present in areas of crisis around the U.S. and the world, ready to help with physical labor and ready to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to hurting people. Plus, this is my hometown and it is heartbreaking for me to see so much devastation. I'm excited to know that many Christians from around NY and the country have been flooding into the Binghamton/Owego area to help.

Here's what Samaritan's Purse said on their site:

We also are helping in Binghamton, New York, which received record flooding from Tropical Storm Lee in early September. Heavy rain from the remnants of Lee brought flooding to the Susquehanna River valley. In the Binghamton area, river heights topped previous records. Over 20,000 residents were forced to evacuate, and the downtown area was closed off. We are closing our site in Rutland [Vermont] on Sept. 24, and moving a Disaster Relief Unit to Binghamton.

Each day, volunteers are equipped with tools and supplies and head into neighborhoods to help people affected by the storm.

The teams remove unsalvageable belongings from homes and clean out debris and muck left from the floodwaters. They rip up ruined flooring and strip damaged sheetrock from walls, then spray the exposed studs with a solution that kills mold. The works saves homeowners thousands of dollars and gives them a chance to rebuild.

When the work is finished, our teams pray with the people we’ve helped and present them with a Bible signed by the volunteers who worked on their home.

If you are interested in volunteering, please see Binghamton NY Flood Response for more information.