August 25, 2014

On August 11, metro Detroit experienced wide-spread flash flooding causing many homes and roadways  to be inundated with water.  The AmeriCorps Urban Safety Program (AMUS) worked on helping the flood victims on two separate occasions.

First, AMUS attended an event with the governor on Friday, August 15th. This event was in Royal Oak. A team of AmeriCorps members, Governor Snyder and approximately 20-30 neighborhood volunteers cleaned about 6 basements in the area. The homes serviced belonged to individuals and families who were unable to help themselves. Some were injured, terminally ill, and others were retired law enforcement. Following this event, the Royal Oak City Hall received the following message:

I wanted to let you know that after seeing your post on the City Hall Facebook page, I contacted Pastor Ryan McVicar about needing help for my elderly neighbor who desperately needed it.

The Pastor emailed me right back saying volunteers could be there between 3 and 5 today. I gladly accepted his offer and right before 3 p.m., 5 lovely Wayne State students showed up at my neighbor’s house and immediately started clearing out her flood ravaged basement. They all worked very hard and did 3 days work in about 2 hrs.. I am so very grateful as I have been trying to assist my neighbor as best I can but our home had 3 feet of raw sewage and it has been an impossible task trying to recover from that.

Thank you for the post which led me to find such wonderful giving people. One positive outcome of this devastating storm is to see the community coming together and people helping each other.

Julie Brewster

The other event That AMUS attended was the All Hands Flood Relief event. This event ran the entire weekend of August 22-24. AmeriCorps members worked 9am-5pm each day cleaning basements all around the city and surrounding areas. The team helped clean approximately 6 basements these days as well. This event consisted of All Hands volunteers working with AmeriCorps members and about 15 neighborhood volunteers. The All Hands event was a sight to see as people from all over the country joined forces with AmeriCorps, other local organizations and community members to make a difference in the lives of those affected by the flood.

The AmeriCorps Urban Safety Project (AMUS) at Wayne State University’s Center for Urban Studies works to promote safety and community in Detroit. AMUS helps create new block clubs and foster established organizations to help increase neighborhood community.  More information about AMUS can be found at www.amusdetroit.org.