Lend a hand, offer some hope for Harvey victims
It doesn't matter that southeastern Texas is more than 2,100 miles away.
After being pummeled by Hurricane Harvey, the people are in need of help. So North Idaho is going in.
"We should absolutely bond together and do whatever we can to help the people of Texas that have been impacted by this terrible storm," Mayor Steve Widmyer said Thursday. "We should donate our time to help if we can, donate money for those that can afford to and let all of the victims know that we are there for them. We need to give them hope that things will get better."
Candlelight Christian Fellowship is a volunteer recruitment hub for anyone from Riggins to Bonners Ferry who wants to be a part of the hurricane relief effort. Those who go will pay to travel to Rockport or Victoria, Texas, but tools and meals will be provided, as well as sleeping quarters for overnight volunteers.
"We've got sister churches there in that area. Many people we know that are members of the local Candlelight have family and friends (there)," said Paul Van Noy, Candlelight pastor. "We certainly want to see people from the community helping. When people are hurting and we have the ability to do good, we should."
Candlelight is working with Samaritan's Purse International Relief, a Christian humanitarian aid organization, to send 15-person teams from North Idaho as soon as possible.
Cliff Hall, the regional area coordinator for the Samaritan's Purse program Operation Christmas Child, is leading the recruitment effort alongside Van Noy. He said Idaho will be sending teams for at least six months.
"The cleanup process in incredible," Hall said.
As floodwaters recede following the Category 4 storm that touched down Friday in Rockport, the race is on to combat the damage. Volunteers will be tearing Sheetrock off walls, cleaning up floors, placing tarps on roofs and helping Texas homeowners recover as much as they can.
"It's not that we can fix it," Hall said. "We'll never be able to fix it. It's going to be broken for a long time. But we can love on them, clean up debris or shovel mud out of their house."
Volunteers can be as young as 14 with accompanying guardians. The minimum stay is three days for overnight volunteers.
Hall will hold a meeting at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Candlelight for anyone interested in volunteering. The meeting will help volunteers know what to expect when they get to the devastated area.
"It's not pretty. It's ugly and it's hard," Hall said. "From a biblical standpoint, we are supposed to reach out to our neighbors, love our neighbors. What does that look like, and what does it mean? This could be happening right here in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and would we want other communities to help us? I think the answer is, 'Absolutely.'"
Widmyer said "communities helping communities" is "what makes our country great."
"That's who we are," he said. "We will do our part to help Texas rebuild. Just like others across the country would help us if we were in need."