CRISFIELD, Md. — Two homes in Crisfield are set to be elevated as part of an effort to protect the properties from future flooding.
The homes, located on Maple Street and Byrdtown Road, are being prepared for the work, including repairs and other construction before contractors lift the structures.
The Eastern Shore Long-Term Recovery Committee works with homeowners to assess their needs and determine which properties qualify for the program.
Mennonite Disaster Service then brings in volunteers to help with the repairs and preparation work before a contractor lifts the home.
Don Yoder, a volunteer with Mennonite Disaster Service, says the group currently has 11 volunteers working in Crisfield, including several long-term volunteers.
“We have 11 of us who are here, all of us volunteers,” Yoder said. “There are 4 or 5 of us, actually, that are what we call long term volunteers. We are here for the month.”
Yoder says much of the group's work involves construction and preparing the homes for the next step.
“We provide the labor for the work that goes into the repairs or the lifting or the rebuilding that we're doing,” Yoder said.
Kimberly Hopkins, program manager for the Eastern Shore Long-Term Recovery Committee, says the organizations work together to determine which homes qualify.
“We work together as partners," Hopkins told WBOC. "We obviously wouldn't be able to work without each other."
Hopkins says the committee works with each homeowner on a vulnerability assessment, looking at their individual situation before a case is approved.
“We work on a vulnerability assessment document that we work with each client to see how vulnerable their situation is,” Hopkins said.
The recovery committee also has a case review process before work begins on a property.
Hopkins says the volunteers complete as much preparation and repair work as possible before a local contractor lifts the home.
“But when we can, we are using the volunteer labor," Hopkins said. "It saves tremendously on the total project."
The cost of the work varies. Some homeowners use insurance money, while others may contribute to the cost depending on their situation.
Jeff Wright's property borders one of the homes that will soon be elevated. He says the work is important for people who have already experienced the effects of flooding.
“It's important because you know, when your house floods, you lose a lot of things,” Wright said.
Yoder says the work is also about helping people recover after a disaster.
“People that are traumatized from natural disasters often lose hope,” Yoder said. “And part of what we like to do is restore hope as we come in and do things that haven't been done for people who have lost homes, lost possessions, sometimes lost loved ones.”
The volunteers are staying at American Legion Post 16 in Crisfield, which provides dorm rooms, a kitchen and space for their equipment.
Hopkins says a third home is now under review for possible elevation.
