FUMC Home

Rita Restoration

The Mennonite Disaster Service has been in Newton since October taking trees off of houses, cutting up and removing trees and debris. They are now actively engaged in several construction projects. One of those is the home of Dwayne and Nellie Cooper. I visited the Coopers shortly after the hurricane and their home was a mess. The roof had a blue tarp on it, but standing in their bedroom, I could see daylight through the ceiling. They had extensive inside damage, and a huge tree had completely taken out a side porch that held their appliances and food supply. Canned goods were all over the yard. The attached pictures were taken at the worksite today (January 10, 2006). These workers are from Canada and Minnesota, and they are members of the Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Church. The group picture taken in front of the house is the crew, and Mr. Cooper is standing to the far right in the picture. The back side of the house (not shown) has been completed, and they have moved to the front. Much of the funding for the materials for this project came from FEMA.