Volunteers turn out to help storm victims in Minden
When our children sing the song about the rains came down and the floods came up, they fail to tell us about the mud that comes with the flood. But the residents of Minden, Nev., on Mac Drive, know firsthand how much mud comes with the floods.
Sunday afternoon, July 20, 2014, the rains came in force for about 20 minutes. "It started raining and hailing, we were getting it on video, and then heard a loud noise and the whole mountain started coming down in our backyard," recalls Daylin Olson, a resident of Mac Drive.
Left in the wake of the torrential rains was mud and debris all around the Olson home—up to six feet in places. Inspection of the damage after the rains stopped, the family found several feet of mud in the garage, a mud-filled swimming pool, and their extensive landscaping all but erased.
At the prompting of a co-worker’s FaceBook posting, Heather Schembari, Test Engineer at GE Oil & Gas in Minden, Nevada, heard of the family’s devastation and paid a visit to see how she could help them. She set the wheels of help in motion by contacting Beth Francis, the Emergency Preparation Specialist for the Carson City Nevada Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Beth contacted several local church leaders informing them of the plight of the Olson family. The family was contacted and plans were made to provide service with the clean-up effort in the form of church volunteers.
David Haws, Stake President and senior spiritual leader for an area called a stake (similar to a diocese) sent an email to church leaders within the Stake. “We have contacted the Olson Family and have found that they are deeply in need of assistance. I am calling upon the brothers and sisters of the Nevada Carson City Stake to provide assistance in helping the family to recover from this tragic event,” wrote President David Haws in his email communication to Bishops under his charge.
Providing service to others is central to the Mormon belief of following the example of Jesus Christ. “This is a great opportunity to demonstrate our love for our neighbor and our community. We need to demonstrate that there are those who do care about their neighbor's well being,” wrote Haws.
Early Saturday, August 02, 2014, volunteers started arriving at the Olson home armed with rakes, shovels, and brooms. In a few short hours and with the aide of tractors, hundreds of cubic yards of dirt and debris were removed from the property.
Among the many volunteers were members of the Church, friends, community members, and full-time missionaries serving from the Church in the area. The clean-up effort continued throughout the morning and into the afternoon. Much work remains to be done for those living in the areas affected by the storm. “On behalf of the Church, our heartfelt gratitude goes out to those who volunteered their time on this project,” says Haws.
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