Volunteers muck out in central Indiana—with many still in need

Floodwaters came within two blocks of Keith Morris’s home in Anderson, Indiana—and now he’s helping his neighbors muck out.

Morris joined many other Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) volunteers who are offering an early response after a thunderstorm system on Aug. 11 struck central Indiana with high winds, tornadoes, and flash flooding. Reports of 6-9 inches of rain were seen in some areas, with additional rain in the days following. Hundreds of homes have been damaged, and the White River rose to levels not seen in more than 100 years.

Morris has been volunteering for MDS for decades, but this disaster hit close to home. Working out of the Park Place Church of God in Anderson, where he serves as the facilities manager, he said: “I personally know some folks who have been flooded out.”

He’s been involved in early response many times, including when he was a student at Hesston College. “I was in a peace and justice class, and the teacher offered us a choice of writing a final paper or going to do cleanup in Wichita after a tornado,” he said.

He’s often chosen early response since then. “My guess is more than 500 houses are damaged here in Anderson,” he said, “and other ones out in the county as well.”

In Cambridge City, an hour’s drive from Anderson, MDS volunteer Henry Stoltzfus and other volunteers have been going door-to-door, seeing if people need help. “So many homes need to be mucked out, dried, and aired out,” said Stoltzfus, who lives in an Amish community on the outskirts of Cambridge City.

“We have 62 volunteers this week, 30 from Pennsylvania and 32 from Davis County, Indiana,” said Stoltzfus. “We are coordinating when to come in.”

Volunteers from outside town have been camping in tents as they help out.

“So far, there appears to be a lot more damage than the volunteers can handle,” said Stoltzfus.

By Susan Kim