Warren Mayor James Fouts to Honor Group That Donated Nearly $1 Million In Volunteer Hours To Help 2014 Flood Victims
When the City of Warren was hit with a record rainfall and subsequent basement and street flooding on August 11, 2014, a volunteer group called Southern Baptist Disaster Team quickly jumped into action to help flood victims.
The group was honored by Warren Mayor Jim Fouts at the Schofield Elementary School on the date the group will end its volunteer effort.
Mayor Jim Fouts said the group recruited 1,235 volunteers from various states since the flooding. They (Southern Baptist Disaster Team ) came from as far away as Colorado and Arizona just as they worked on rebuilding homes in New York state after Hurricane Sandy.
Some of the volunteers came from local communities and worked on the flood in Warren two years ago.
One group of 653 worked from August 11, 2014 to October 15, 2014. A second group of 582 worked from June 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016 to help flood victims clean their basements and homes and repair damage from the flooding.
The group cleaned basements, replaced roofs and even assisted in rebuilding over 20 homes. The Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) assisted 492 families in the State of Michigan, most which were in the City of Warren. The Southern Baptist Disaster Team Volunteer hours for both periods totaled 47,783 with a monetary value of nearly one million dollars.
The Southern Baptist Disaster Team Volunteers were housed in a closed public school in Warren Fitzgerald District from with the city of Warren paying all utility costs at the location.
“These volunteers were invaluable in helping residents when they desperately needed help, and then they returned to help even more,” said Warren Mayor Jim Fouts, who praised Councilwoman Kelly Colegio for originally contacting the group’s leader on August 11, 2014. “Our city is forever indebted to each of the volunteers for the time and expertise they contributed.” Said Mayor Fouts in a statement.