Sussex County Mormons volunteer to aid in Hurricane Irene Cleanup

SPARTA — Over the Labor Day weekend, more than a thousand volunteers from local Mormon congregations donned yellow “Helping Hands” T-shirts and vests and went out in their communities to help in the cleanup after Hurricane Irene. Volunteer relief efforts will continue over the next several weeks, as demand exists. As with previous disasters in the United States, the Church is coordinating its efforts with FEMA, The Red Cross, The Salvation Army and other civic and non-profit organizations. The Sussex County LDS congregation meets in Sparta at 94 Pinckneyville Road. Assistance has been provided to individuals and families in Sparta, Newton, Hamburg, Sussex and Oak Ridge by congregation members. Services have included roof repairs, basement clean-ups and providing generators to preserve food items. Locally, volunteers are reaching out to political, religious and community leaders to determine what work needs to be done. Some volunteers have been going door-to-door to assess damage and offer services in some of the hardest hit areas of New Jersey, including Denville, Patterson, Fairfield, Little Falls, Lincoln Park, Wayne, Pompton Plains, Pequannock and parts of Somerset County. A central command center has been set up in the Emerson, Latter-day Saint Chapel, located at 840 Soldier Hill Road. The center is being run by Neils Ludlow and his wife Marti, who are experienced in setting up disaster relief command centers and getting them organized. The Ludlows, who are volunteers themselves, oversaw the LDS Church’s Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, and have been called in to aid in cleanup efforts after disasters in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Joplin, Mo., and Minot, N.D. How to help Individuals and organizations interested in helping the towns where the impact from Hurricane Irene is most severe can contact 201-262-8278 to join work crews organized and supported by the Helping Hands command center. All volunteers work free of charge and provide the tools and equipment necessary to complete the work. The command center reviews work orders submitted, and then sends in teams of volunteers to complete the projects. A typical clean-up project (such as mucking out a basement) can take an eight to 10 member team up to 12 hours, depending on how much damage was done to floors and walls. Over the Labor Day weekend, volunteers engaged in a range of cleanup activities, which included removing drywall, insulation, flooring, carpeting, furniture and appliances, and putting up tarp roofs, removing trees, and clearing out debris. This effort is part of the Church’s ongoing Mormon Helping Hands program, which operates around the world. The program brings together members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their neighbors to provide community service. Local church leaders, guided by inter-faith collaboration and local nonprofit organizations and government officials, direct the work through resources from Church humanitarian services.