Lake County | More than 2,000 homes were affected by July flooding in northern Illinois, resulting in a planned multi-week response by Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief (IBDR) volunteers and others from neighboring states.
One week after torrential rains pummeled Lake County, Disaster Relief assessors traveled to the region to start taking stock of the need. “Affected homes stretch to the four corners of the county,” said IBSA’s Dwayne Doyle. After two weeks, IDBR had received 292 requests for assistance, and leaders were working to assess homes and mobilize teams to help. IBDR has taken the lead in managing all efforts by non-governmental organizations responding in Lake County, Doyle added.
Illinois volunteers got to work quickly, helping homeowners clean up and prevent further damage to their houses. They also handed out flood relief buckets provided through the North American Mission Board’s Send Relief initiative. The buckets include a mold remediation solution that homeowners can apply to their houses.
“The need is great,” Doyle said, referring to a report from Disaster Relief Incident Commander John Blasdale, who estimated IBDR volunteers will need to complete about 150 jobs over the next three weeks. “If we secure five teams per week, we can finish up in August,” said Blasdale, a member of Springbrook Community Church in Plainfield.
Another need, Doyle said, is food for volunteers. “Since this disaster was not designated as a federal disaster, the normal sources for food to feed response volunteers have not come through the Red Cross,” he said.
“The Lord has provided generously through Lake County Baptist Association churches [and] individual givers from the community, as well as Wildwood Presbyterian Church, who is hosting our housing for the response. Our prayer is that God continues to provide quail, as he did for the Israelites, so that we will be sustained during this time of response.”
Trained Disaster Relief volunteers can join teams as they respond in Lake County this month. For more information, contact Jim Weickersheimmer at (217) 419-1175 or jimkipp12@gmail.com. People can also support the flood response by making a donation to IBDR, Doyle said. To financially contribute to the work in northern Illinois and other DR projects, go to IBSA.org/dr.