Volunteers Play Crucial Role in Flood Recovery Efforts

KUAF | By Zuzanna Sitek / KUAF,

Published June 14, 2019 at 2:23 PM CDT

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As soon as the flood waters in the River Valley receded, volunteers started getting busy helping their neighbors take the first step toward recovery. Volunteers with Grand Avenue Baptist Church will spend the coming weeks emptying damaged homes. In some cases, the houses will be stripped down to the studs. Meanwhile, at the Volunteer Intake Center at Eastside Baptist Church, the United Way of Fort Smith Area will be connecting volunteers to projects across the city.

A volunteer uses heavy machinery to push the pile of debris closer to the road.

Z. Sitek / KUAF

Volunteers strip all the sheetrock from the walls inside the house.

Z. Sitek / KUAF

The house was inundated with two feet of water for several days, which caused mold to grow up the walls.

Z. Sitek / KUAF

The piles of debris outside homes are being picked up by Fort Smith's sanitation department.

Z. Sitek / KUAF

Volunteers also helped clear the house across the street.

Z. Sitek / KUAF