ERT

Saturday, June 30, 2007

Nine months after the initial meeting to organize the Otisville-Mt.
Hope Presbyterian Church Emergency Response Team, the team was
deployed and 16 volunteers from the Main Street church, and another
volunteer, went to assist three families whose property was damaged
in the Colchester/Roscoe area.

Words cannot describe the devastation caused by the flash flood that
affected approximately 8 miles of Route 206 in Colchester. By the
time we arrived there on Saturday, it was obvious that road crews
had been diligently working to reconstruct damaged roadways and
bridges. Debris was piled everywhere. Some houses were left with
motes. Some were left to stand alone, as if on an island. Some
houses were completely gone, leaving only portions of block
foundations as a testament to their previous existence. Some
residents are left without any mode of transportation, their
vehicles carried away by the fast moving water. Some portions of
the mountain resembled small gorges. Two people are still missing.

Our team's availability was made known by Roger Burch, of the
American Red Cross, and its efforts were coordinated through the
Pastor at the Roscoe Presbyterian Church. A convoy of eight
vehicles approached the State Police road block and our team
proceeded to MAKE A DIFFERENCE for these families. Huge trees,
brush, stone and gravel were removed from yards. Chansaws
buzzed. A chain of volunteers worked together to remove downed
trees and limbs from a cluttered stream bed. One family hosted a
lovely barbecue for the volunteers. Hugs were exchanged.

One of the individuals we assisted said she was suprised by the
number of people that came to help her family, She felt like she
was on TV - something like Extreme Makeover-Home Edition, absent the
megaphone. When our team showed up at her house, she was
overwhelmed and almost cried. She couldn't believe that people she
didn't even know were willing to come and help her and her family.

Nine months ago we formed this team because we felt we weren't
adequately prepared and hadn't done enough to help the then recent
flood victims in Port Jervis, Myers Grove, Westbrookville and
surrounding areas. Little did we know how soon our team would serve
a purpose. Today we look back to where we were then, recognize all
we have done since, strive to learn from each experience, and look
forward to improving on MAKING A DIFFERENCE each time we're needed
in the future, in whatever way possible.

Susan Maney-Eggleton
OMHPC ERT Director