ARNOLD — The devastation and destruction in Arnold is unbelievable according to the disaster relief volunteers. “These homes are a complete tear out,” Arlin Hadler, disaster relief volunteer and director of the Cape Girardeau Association chainsaw recovery unit said, “the basements and the upper floors were flooded. We’ve gone in and torn out everything including furniture and appliances.”
Hadler said the follow up to the demolition is to go in and power wash. “We spray the entire house with Shockwave,” Hadler said. “The spray protects from bacteria and mold.”
The group of twelve disaster relief volunteers working in Arnold included volunteers from the Cape Girardeau Association and the Mineral Area Association. Cheryl Mayfield, disaster relief volunteer from Mineral Area and member of FBC Viburnum, described herself as the “unofficial chaplain.”
According to Mayfield, every house is a different story. “The first day we worked with one couple,” she said, “she was distraught and her husband was angry. But, after we worked so hard on their house, we saw his mood change.”
The transformation was very noticeable when the volunteers prayed for the couple at the end of the work on their house. “All the members of the team always sign a Bible,” Mayfield said, “and we gather to pray for the homeowners. When we met with this couple, he just bawled and said, ‘I want you to know that I prayed for help and God sent you.’”
Mayfield also described a man she met at lunch who had just volunteered to help sandbag. “He wondered if he had to be baptized to help the team,” she said. “He said that he thought that just being a good person was enough. Pastor John gave him a Bible and challenged him to read the book of John. Then, when he comes back on Friday, they will talk.”
“God is at work,” Mayfield said. “God is using disaster relief to impact more than the homeowner.”