Nauvoo - Part 3

In a previous report we told you that we'd eventually be returning to Nauvoo for a third job assignment there at the site of a mobile home disaster.  Two huge oak trees had fallen into, around and through the mobile home owned by Jan Hoadley and occupied by her godson, Conner Franklin.  The blessing in this tragedy was that no lives were lost or even injuries incurred - either to the humans or to the numerous animals that resided on the property.  Jan knew her mobile home was lost, but without some outside help, she also knew that she'd never be able to clear her property of the debris resulting from the downed trees.  And that's where we came in.  After finishing job #2 in Nauvoo and then our follow-up work commitment in Sheffield, we scheduled ourselves to start our Nauvoo #3 job on a Saturday (a rare workday for a CFC team but we hoped we might attract a faith-based youth group to work with us on that day to show them what we do and encourage their future participation, too), and then we committed to return again every Tuesday for as many Tuesdays as it took for us to clear Jan's property.  As it turned out, that would be 3 Tuesdays.  The work took us from September 19 through October 6 to complete, and entailed a commitment of 276 service hours.

Day 1 - Saturday, September 19

While the youth we had hoped would be working with us never made it to Nauvoo, we were blessed to have three youth leaders from Riverchase UMC join our work team this day.  Those participating included (from left to right, kneeling): Boyd Martin, Dean Charles, Ken Clements and Bob Thompson; (standing): property owner Jan Hoadley, Conner Franklin (obscured; standing immediately behind his godmother), David Moser, James Kern, Greg Warden, Henry Averyt and Ted Bentley.

You may remember several of the original pictures of the destruction we shared with you in a previous newsletter report:

Our objective today was to remove as much of the canopy and as many of the branches of the large oak that bisected the mobile home as we could so Jan and Conner could enter the building and retrieve as many of the possessions as they could from the structure; and remove all the branches that had fallen and remained on the roofs of the mobile home and the vehicles that were parked on the property.  And we did accomplish those objectives before departing for the day.

Before:

After:

Day 2 - Tuesday, September 22

We had a great team of cutters and pullers at work in Nauvoo today.  It was a warm day so we took several rest breaks and hydrated with water, electrolyte replacement and even pickle juice (to reduce cramping).  Out lawn chairs came in handy this day!  From left to right: Mark Martin, Boyd Martin, Buddy Williams, Sam Williamson, Jason Cannon, Ray Miller, Bob Thompson, property owner Jan Hoadley and her godson, Conner Franklin, and Jim Pressler.

Today's objective was to buck (cut up) as much of the big trees still lying horizontally on the property (the biggest one having a 36"+ diameter!), return the root balls of the two large oaks that had been uprooted by the straight line winds back into the ground as best as possible, stack as much of the cut up trunks as we could so that Jan could split it and use it for firewood at a later time (we ended up creating 4 different wood piles!), and establish a passageway through the remaining mobile home structure so that a skid steer tractor could move freely from the front of the home to the rear of the home and thereby move even more of the large tree trunk sections from the front to the back of the property when we returned the next Tuesday.  All went well until we discovered that there was a double I-beam frame under the mobile home supporting it, through which the skid steer would not be able to pass until they were removed!  That was a challenge that would not dissuade us, of course!  Special thanks this day to Nancy Miller who sent along homemade brownies with her husband, Ray, which reinvigorated the team following our brown-bag lunchtime break.

Day 3 - Tuesday, September 29

Between last Tuesday and this Tuesday we were able to speak with a Walker County welder - JR Deason - who we learned had mobile acetylene welding gear set up on his work truck.  Once JR understood our faith-based purpose and our service motivation of restoring hope in Jesus' name, he graciously offered to work with us at no charge to cut through the subject I-beams so we could finish our Nauvoo assignment.  Although we had anticipated finishing this job today, as the weatherman forecast a 90% chance of rain we decided to call off the skid steer team fearing that the ground would be too soft and muddy for the tractor to work effectively without further damaging Jan's property.  But JR said he'd work rain or shine; so a small team met him at the job site early in the morning and he made short work of removing the I-beams.  JR even used the hoist on his truck to help us remove the small porch at the front of the mobile home that we also needed to dismantle to allow the skid steer access through the structure.  We then cut through and capped the remaining PVC water pipes and the skid steer pathway was effectively readied for use.  Too bad the weatherman's forecast was so wrong.  The day was sunny, warm and not a drop of rain fell!  But we had no skid steer with us, so completion of the job would have to wait one more week.

The "I-beam removal team" consisted of Bob Thompson, Ray Miller, JR Deason, Boyd Martin, Buddy Williams, Mike Williams (JR's assistant), property owner Jan Hoadley and Henry Averyt.

Before/during the I-beam, PVC piping and porch removal:

Porch removal video (click on the image to view the video):

After:

Day 4 - Tuesday, October 6

Today would be our final day of working at Jan's property.  Unfortunately no team picture was taken, but team participants consisted of Boyd Martin, Buddy Williams, Dean Charles, Henry Averyt, property owner Jan Hoadley, Mark Martin, Ray Miller, Sam Williamson and Tim Smith.  And, of course, Abel, the Asbury UMC skid steer and power member of the team! Our work today consisted of moving the large sections of tree trunks from the front of Jan's property to the rear of the property and also the large sections from the rear of the property to where Jan wanted them all stacked, cutting the large sections once more into smaller sizes, if possible, and then tidying up the remaining grounds as best as possible before calling the job completed. Jan and Conner know that they still have much to do to continue salvaging what they want from the mobile home and then there will be all the wood splitting, but they were very appreciative of our services to them.

As much as Jan says she was blessed by our willingness and ability to serve her, we were just as much if not even more blessed to have been able to accept and complete this job assignment.  We were in the right place at the right time when we were originally asked to undertake the work; we were supported in our efforts to serve Jan by the City of Nauvoo and from Walker County; and we were generously assisted by a saint known to us as JR Deason who we did not know previously at all, but who demonstrated himself in every way to be a servant of the Lord and someone willing to work with us again should we ever return to his geographic area. The Lord continues to watch over us and protect us as we work.  Our 100% safety record remains intact even after tackling these large trees.  And we were able to be effective witnesses for Jesus Christ to Jan and Conner by reflecting God's love of and for them throughout our four days of work with them.  Our departing and ongoing prayer for Jan and Conner was and will be that as they continue to recover from the property destruction that has befallen them, they will recognize, know and share with others their knowledge that the Lord has stood by them throughout the time of their ordeal and calamity; and that He continues to offer each of them hope.  Praise God.  We give Him all the glory!

In closing, and as always, please remember to follow us on our blog site from time to time at cuttersforchrist.bologspot.com.

In His Service, Bob

We’re ON for tomorrow - Tuesday, September 22, beginning on-site in Nauvoo at 8:30 am.   We’ll quit working around 2 pm or earlier if we get done with as much as we can accomplish for the day.  A team of 10 +/- cutters and pullers from among those of you listed on this distribution will pick up from where we left off on Saturday morning.  We spent Saturday delimbing the large tree canopy branches from inside, through and on the house and then we bucked the trunk to a point where the root ball gave us an indication that it was just about to rise:

The root ball of the 36”-diameter tree that fell through the mobile home will definitely fall back into its hole with one more cut, and there are one or two others that should also stand up once we clear the branches and separate the top sections from their trunks, too.  We’re currently making firewood piles for Jan Hoadley and her godson, Conner.  They’re burning the smaller vegetative debris in burn piles we created, one in the front yard and one in the back.  (With all we piled up they may still be smoldering when we return on Tuesday!)  Skid steer access to the rear of the property is a problem.  We’re working on how to cut through the frame of the mobile home (the owner has given us permission to do so) so we can create a pathway for the skids.  They aren’t able to get around either end of the trailer as trees, abandoned vehicles and the mobile home frame in those locations are creating blocked pathways.  If you kno anyone with an acetylene torch set up who would be willing to either operate it with us for a day or let one of our team who knows how to use it borrow it for a day, we’ll use it to cut through the mobile home frame and create that pathway.

There’s plenty still to cut even if we don’t use the skid steers until September 29.  The weather forecast is for sunny skies and warm temperatures.  No rain is in sight.  Bring your standard gear - PPE, saws, gas and oil - and maybe some replacement chains, too, as it’s all oak hardwood!  Ropes, wheelbarrows, wedges and sledge hammers if you’ve got them will all help is we don’t use the skid steer.  A lawn chair to sit on, snacks for breaks, a lunch if you plan to eat and plenty of water and electrolyte replacement should be part of your gear, too.  Pickles (we consumed my last gallon jug of them in Sheffield so start bringing some of your own!) and pickle juice and/or yellow mustard for cramps.  A change of clothes for driving home will make you more comfortable on the drive back to Birmingham, too.

Jim Pressler will introduce a new volunteer to us - Mark Martin - who has expressed interest in working with us.  He is a puller and will not be operating any power equipment.  Jim, please remember to ask Mark to wear steel-toed work boots and bring work gloves.  We’ll loan him head and eye protection.

In His Service,

Bob

Bob Thompson

Sheffield - Part 2

On Monday, August 31 and Tuesday, September 1 a team of 7 CFC members returned to Sheffield to undertake the removal of even more debris resulting from the EF-1 tornado that hit that community on July 15.  We had been sent in advance Right of Entry permission forms for 3 properties that were located on River Bluff Road overlooking the Tennessee River.  The tornado there certainly was a strange one.  It traveled north to south across the river and at this location it traveled up the bluff and the deep sloping backyards of the properties close to the river.

The 7 members of the Sheffield-Part 2 team were (left to right) John Calhoun, Ken Clements, Boyd Martin, Buddy Williams, Chris Williams, Bob Thompson and (seated) Jim Pressler.

Our first assignment was to remove debris from a property that actually was across the street from the other two properties that backed up to the river.  Jim dispatched that work with his pole saw and the team was able to handily dispose of the debris with the homeowner's consent at the very rear of the property. In assessing the other properties we had been asked to clear, we determined that we would need to obtain Right of Entry permission from two additional homeowners on the bluff as the debris would need to be moved from east to west across all the properties and up the slope at the very west end of the string of 4 properties.  We felt that would be the safest route for the skid steer to traverse from the backyards to the street where the debris would need to be placed.  The other two homeowners - one being the Mayor of the city of Sheffield - were all very willing to execute permission forms and everyone expressed their appreciation to us for returning to help them a second time.

The picture above really doesn't do justice to the complexity of the job site, but it shows the topography as viewed from the pilot's seat of Abel, Asbury UMC's skid steer, which so importantly assisted our cutters in the removal of the debris we encountered.  You can see three of the 4 houses at the top of the ridge (the 4th house is just to the right out of the picture).  And bringing debris across the undulating, sloping backyards was the only way we could hope to bring the debris up to the street in front of the houses!

Here's a view looking back up the sloping backyards from the top of the bluff below (there's actually a road at the base of the bluff), which then overlooks the river beyond.

Some of the debris we originally encountered looked like this:

The crew divided into several sub-groups and each tackled separate portions of debris across all 4 backyards.

By the time we finished up all that we could accomplish in two days, the majority of the debris had been cut and removed to the street.  One of the homeowners asked us to specifically leave one of the large tree trunks on the ground; he and a friend have arranged to cut it into firewood over the weeks ahead.  But the other large tree trunks particularly the ones bordering the Mayor's property (but actually owned by his immediate neighbor to the west) we're afraid will need to remain as a souvenir of the storm as we could not determine a safe way to cut and remove them from where they fell.

We'd like to say a special thank you to many folks who made our two-day stay in Sheffield a treat for us.  First, thank you Rev. Randy Burbank, for arranging overnight accommodations for us at the Cold Water Inn (we actually had real hotel rooms with beds and showers instead of our normal church fellowship hall or gym or classroom converted with air mattresses and communal bathrooms down the hall).  Thank you Charlie and Sally Grimmitt, members of Sheffield UMC, who provided us with abundant water and ice to keep us hydrated as we worked, plus peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chips and a cookie for lunch on both days and a chicken spaghetti dinner, complete with dessert, that Sally prepared and served to us at the church on Monday night between our two work days.  We enjoyed the Grimmitt's company at dinner and were enthralled by the stories Charlie told about the early history of Sheffield, the "competition" between Sheffield and Muscle Shoals when it comes to which community really owns the rights to claiming it originated the local music recording industry, and especially his rendering of how a local hospital orderly by the name of Persey Sledge, became an overnight singing sensation in 1966 when he recorded "When A Man Loves A Woman" locally.  Thanks also go out to one of the neighbors we served, Phyllis Brocato, who came running out of her house with fresh-out-of the-oven brownies for us; and to CFC team member Nancy Miller who made and sent along her traditional home-made brownies for us, too!

Restoration Mission Revisited

On Thursday, August 27, a 3-man team consisting of Bob Thompson, Jim Pressler and Ray Miller assisted Rev. Al Lewis by removaing a large limb that had fallen on a storage shed behind Rev. Al's residence just two doors away from his Restoration Mission church in West Birmingham.  The work went quickly and these before-and-after pictures show the scope of the work the team performed.

...and now Nauvoo - Part 3

So as we've finished in one "away" location (Sheffield), we'll be off to our next destination (Nauvoo) without delay.  We'll be helping property owner Jan Hoadley there by cutting and removing the debris that has resulted from the downing of a huge tree that divided and destroyed her mobile home when it fell.  Our first work day there will be this coming Saturday, September 19.  We're hoping that the youth from Riverchase UMC who normally assist on Habitat for Humanity assignments on Saturdays under the coordinating direction of Greg Warden, will be joining us in Nauvoo this Saturday to see firsthand what we do and help us by pulling debris to the curb and stacking it there.  A team of 6 CFC members are currently signed up to serve from 7 am to 12 noon on Saturday.  We anticipate that 4 or 5 more days of service will actually also be needed there.  So we'll be heading back to Nauvoo every Tuesday, beginning Tuesday, September 22 - working from 8:30 am until 3 pm each day - until our job is finished there. If there are others reading this article who would like to participate in this work assignment but who have not yet committed to help on this deployment, please contact me by email as soon as possible so that we can accommodate your interest and coordinate your participation with one or more of the teams over the weeks ahead.

Thank you all for your continuing prayers for our safety and for all the persons who are so adversely affected by severe storms.  Remember to stay in touch with us by reading our blog at cuttersforchrist.bolgspot.com!

In His Service, Bob