September 2, 2012

Marysville, Indiana: Town working to Restore its community center, confidence

By Peter Smith, Courier Journal

Squinting in the sun and swatting away sweat bees on a hot August afternoon, a cluster of building experts and local officials investigated the remains of the Marysville Community Center.

The March 2 tornado outbreak ripped off the roof of the former schoolhouse, built in the 1930s. After closing as a school in the 1970s, it was the site of family reunions, birthday parties and other gatherings.

There was “something going on here just about all year round … at least once or twice a week in the summertime,” said trustee William Bussey of Orange Township, which includes Marysville.

The building, located across the way from the signature water tower bearing the town’s name — itself left standing despite the winds — served as one of the few communal focal points in this tiny, former railroad town in northern Clark County, Ind.

The center was insured for up to $100,000 in damage, Bussey said, and the group March2Recovery has also helped by enlisting volunteers to clean out debris and coordinate plans for rebuilding.

The core of the building, made of red brick arrayed in various patterns, remains solid, said New Albany architect Lawrence Timperman. “These old school buildings were built to withstand a lot.”

Restoring the community center, Bussey said, would be an important sign of confidence in the community — which had been described as “gone” by a widely quoted deputy sheriff in the hours after the tornado outbreak.

“Maybe it won’t be the same town, but it will be a different town … maybe a better town,” Bussey said.

Such plans cheer Henryville contractor Bill Barrett, who was among the last to attend school in the building before Marysville students began going to regional schools.

“It’s got a lot of historical value for a small town,” he said.

For more information on DeWALT, please visit http://www.dewalt.com/

Since March 2nd we have welcomed over 10,000 volunteers who have helped more than 700 households clear debris, demolish unsafe structures, make minor repairs, pack and unpack belongings and more. We have helped families get back into their homes and begin their recoveries. But, we are just getting started.

On August 13th we officially began the construction phase of recovery. We have hired qualified staff including an executive director, case managers and two construction staff and we have secured a $2,080,300 grant from the Indiana Natural Disaster Fund to help us address unmet needs in our community. Our unmet needs committee has already approved several cases for funding, including major repairs and total rebuilds. Some of the costs of these projects are being funding by partner organizations, allowing our funds to stretch even further.

In order complete these projects, however, we need your help. We are currently looking for individuals and groups to volunteer their time in Southern Indiana. We are in particular need of those who are skilled in construction, framing, roofing, drywall, electric and HVAC. Even groups without these skills are welcome and appreciated.

If you are interested in organizing a trip please visit www.March2Recovery.org/volunteer to register or contact the Volunteer Center at vrc@march2recovery.org or (502)599-8557. A complete volunteer information guide can be downloaded here.

Thank you for helping our community get back home.

Team Leader Courtney Miskell of New York heads up the ten member team, which includes Shoshana Felenchak from New Hampshire, Brandon Gutterige from Missouri, Anzolia Stancil from North Carolina, Sara Butler from Florida, Chris Bannister from Maryland, Kristine Galusz from New Jersey and Jason Flemke and Janae Wohlgemuth from Minnesota. Cedar 6 will finish their project in Indiana in September, and a new AmeriCorps NCCC team will begin working with Habitat for Humanity. For their next project, Cedar 6 is heading to Michigan, where they will be doing trail building and invasive species removal.

AmeriCorps NCCC is a team based service program, where 18 to 24 year olds spend ten months working on several different community service projects. The projects cover the areas of disaster relief, environmental conservation, energy conservation, urban and rural development and infrastructure improvement. Corps members are trained in first aid, disaster shelter management and conflict resolution, among other things. Members receive a modest living stipend and, after finishing the program, they receive an education grant of $5,550 that can be used to pay for schooling or to pay off student loans.

Written by Emma Prichard

Emma is part of an AmeriCorps NCCC team currently working at the March 2 Recovery Volunteer Reception Center in Henryville, Indiana.

The devastating tornadoes of March 2nd have not only torn apart homes and communities; it has triggered a spiritual and emotional crisis in the lives of many people. In addition to tending to the needs for repair and reconstruction, March2Recovery is dedicated to the emotional and spiritual healing of every member of the communities affected by the March 2nd disaster and those that have volunteered their time to recovering the communities.

Sunday, September 2 will mark the six-month anniversary of the tornadoes. Many in our communities are just beginning to recognize that we have entered a “new normal” in our post-tornado lives. Families still mourn lost loved ones, injuries are still healing, repairs are still underway, nightmares and post-storm anxiety persist. We hope acknowledging this six-month mark will help survivors know that they are not forgotten, and that hope and healing will come.

We would like to invite you, your faith community or organization to join us in remembering this six-month anniversary in a simple way. We are encouraging everyone to pause for a moment of silence at 3:00 p.m. on September 2 to remember the storm-torn communities. If you have a bell you can toll at that hour, we invite you to toll it six times, once for each month since the tornadoes. We recognize that many of our faith communities will be gathered for worship on Sunday morning. You are welcome to move this remembrance to the morning if you would prefer to incorporate it into your regular worship service.

Please let us know if you plan to participate, so we can share with the community those organizations and congregations that will be marking the occasion. You can contact me at 502-645-6017 or pastor@stlukes.cc to let me know if you plan to participate. Thank you for your support as we build healing and hope together.

Sincerely,

Rev. Jennifer Mills-Knutsen

Chair Spiritual & Emotional Recovery Team, March 2 Recovery

List of Churches and Organizations Participating in Six-Month Remembrance for March 2 Tornadoes

This is a list of all the organizations and congregations that have let us know they plan to mark the six-month anniversary on Sunday, September 2. Please e-mail Rev. Jennifer Mills-Knutsen, Spiritual & Emotional Recovery Chair, at pastor@stlukes.cc if you would like to add your congregation to the list.

St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Henryville, IN (Fr. Steve Schaftlein, priest)
Free picnic 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. to honor volunteers and give thanks for how far the community has come. Brief service of remembrance at 3:00 p.m. All are welcome!

Marysville Community Center, Marysville, IN (Rachel Bussey, coordinator)
2:30 p.m., Reading of names of those who lost their lives, with balloon tribute. Moment of silence and tolling of bell at 3:00. Contact Rachel Bussey: 812-406-6323. “There will be some parking around Marysville & parking along one side of Blackberry Trail Road. Anyone is welcome to join including any volunteers, police, EMS, or fire departments that were involved. Representatives and/or vehicles are welcomed as well.”

Portland Ave. Presbyterian Church, Louisville, KY (Rev. Willa Fae Williams, pastor)
3:00 p.m. and during morning service

Corydon Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Corydon, IN (Rev. Lori Miller Price, pastor)
morning service

Salem United Church of Christ, New Middletown, IN (Rev. Lori Miller Price, pastor)
morning service

Indiana-Kentucky Conference, United Church of Christ (Rev. John Vertigan, Conference Minister)
Electronic bell-tolling via e-mail and Facebook post at 3:00 p.m.

Strathmoor Presbyterian Church, Louisville, KY (Rev. Elizabeth Kirkpatrick, pastor)
11:00 morning service

Westwood Presbyterian Church, Louisville, KY (Irene Spicer, coordinator)
morning service

First Christian Church, Salem, IN (Rev. Steve Fisher, pastor)
11:00 morning service

St. Luke’s United Church of Christ, Jeffersonville, IN (Rev. Jennifer Mills-Knutsen, pastor)
10:00 morning service

Community Presbyterian Church, Henryville, IN (Rev. Alex Becker, pastor)
morning service and 3:00 p.m.

Trinity United Church of Christ, Mount Vernon, IN (Rev. Cynthia Priem, pastor)
3:00 p.m.

Immanuel United Church of Christ, Indianapolis, IN (Rev. John Gantt, coordinator)
morning service

Temple Congregational Church (UCC), Marion, IN (Rev. Marv Wiseman, pastor)
10:30 a.m.

Immanuel United Church of Christ, Lafayette, IN (Rev. Ron Wunsch, pastor)
3:00 p.m.

Bethany United Church of Christ, Louisville, KY (Rev. Ann Houlette, pastor)
morning service

Warren United Church of Christ, Warren, IN (Rev. Scott Nedberg, pastor)

First Presbyterian Church, Scottsburg, IN (Rev. Peter Barnes-Davies, pastor)
Morning service

For more information about Werner Company visit their website at http://us.wernerco.com/.

Locations: Case Management, Construction and Executive Director offices are located at 105 E. Hwy 160 in Henryville. Offices are provided by St. Francis Xavier Church. Volunteer Center has moved to the Monroe Township Volunteer Fire Dept. The address is 315 S. Ferguson (Hwy 31S) in Henryville.

Activities:

Volunteer Reception Center: As of 8/18, 10,863 volunteers have been deployed to help with the recovery effort. They have done 45,222 hours to a dollar value of $985,387.

Case Management: As of 8/21, of the 1329 FEMA residents we have attempted contact, 994 have been reached. 341 have identified unmet needs. (Clark : 225, Jefferson: 19 and Washington: 97). 653 cases have been closed. 99 highest priority cases are assigned to case workers. Case managers are working with other organizations and agencies in the area to avoid duplication so that we are truly the gap funder of last dollar.

Unmet Needs Committee: The first meeting of the Unmet Needs Committee to review cases referred by case management and construction was held August 9^th. Ten funders were at the table and allocated 58% of the total cost of $112,000 for the cases presented. We are recruiting local funders to join the Unmet Needs Process..

Funding: March2Recovery was awarded $2,080,300 from the Indiana Natural Disaster Fund 12 through Indiana Association of United Ways. The official grantee is our fiscal sponsor, Metro United Way.M2R policies and procedures guide all funding allotment decisions.

Spiritual and Emotional Needs Committee:

Funding was facilitated for summer school enrichment programs and day camps through this committee. A caregiver program is being explored for the 300 elderly survivors. The first meeting for survivors “Sharing Our Stories” was held in Otisco. Next sites are in Henryville and Daisy Hill areas. We are also working with affected communities to restore a community center and develop new playgrounds.

Construction:

Fifteen estimates have been completed and three are pending. Seven cases are active with the construction team and one rebuild is underway and 3 are pending. Three mobile home replacements are pending. Thirteen homes are active for repair and rehab. Four are waiting for the completion of a title search. Ten families are receiving Rental Assistance.

August 19, 2012
By AMANDA ARNOLD

SOUTHERN INDIANA — September will serve as the six-month mark of the March 2 tornadoes that caused so much damage and heartache in Southern Indiana. While the storm has passed, the cleanup has been successful and such structures as the Henryville school complex have been rebuilt, the recovery continues.

“A lot of people are still dealing with where to rebuild and if to rebuild. Some people still have things that are needed to be done,” said Jill Kaetzel, pastor, Emmanuel United Methodist Church of Otisco.

Rebuilding structures is part of the recovery, but people must also rebuild their spirit. March2Recovery is a volunteer and staffed organization that was formed for the purpose of providing assistance to those affected by the tornadoes. There are many who still have unmet needs, and some are emotional while others are structural.

On Thursday, March2Recovery held “Sharing Our Stories” at Emmanuel Methodist Church. The evening served as a time for individuals to share their feelings. The important part of the conversation is how life has changed in the last five months.

“We know a big part of healing from something as traumatic as the storm is telling the story, and to hear other people so you don’t feel alone,” said Rev. Jennifer Mills-Knutsen of St. Luke United Church of Christ in Jeffersonville. Mills-Knutsen also serves as a chairperson on the March2Recovery team.

Mills-Knutsen continued to explain the reaction some of the storm victims have been expressing.

“People are experiencing all kinds of things. Some are experiencing nightmares, fear of storms, not wanting to leave home and stress. They feel like they are the only ones feeling that way. Our goal is to get people together so they can share, and we will give them some strategies to cope,” Mills-Knutsen said.

Opening the discussion to how the survivors feel was a first step. This involved Mills-Knutsen leading the group in selecting beads that represent how they felt during the storm and how they feel now. Many people chose butterflies to symbolize new growth and crosses to show faith. Spindles that represent the chaos that followed the event were also a chosen bead as well as flowers. The flower bead represents “sprouting of new buildings and the feeling of hope and blossoming.”

The individuals who participated in the first Sharing Our Stories meeting were those who helped during the initial aftermath. While those who helped may not have lost a house, feelings associated with the event were still in need of discussion and healing. The meetings are open to all who were affected by the storm.

The next Sharing Our Stories will be Wednesday and Aug. 28. Mills-Knutsen explained that there may be more meetings depending on the need. For more information about upcoming events with March2Recovery visit http://march2recovery.org. People interested in volunteering can also find information on the website. As of March 2, more than 10,000 volunteers have contributed more than 65,000 hours to the storm efforts.