The Alliance for Appalachia

[The alert is being passed on from the Sludge Safety Project]

Invite and Details for Mingo County Flood Relief this Weekend

Friends and Allies,

For those of you who may be available this weekend on such short notice, we would love all the hands and hearts we can get in Mingo County to help with clean-up since the flooding.  Thank you to those who are planning on coming down this weekend.  We will find a place for you to stay Friday or Saturday if you need it-  just let us know.  Please read below for details.  If you would like to donate materials – you can find that list below.  We are also accepting prayers and thoughts of support any time.
Thank You.
Tricia Feeney

Details for Flood Relief Volunteers
In this email you will find:

1. Contact Info
2. Note to Volunteers
3. Directions
4. What to Bring
5. Donations Needed

Contact Info:

• Patricia Feeney – 304-475-3873 (home) 304-360-2110 (cell) patricia@sludgesafety.org
• Jenny Hudson – 770-891- 9048
• Eric Mathis – 304-784-0864

Note to Volunteers:
Please call or email me before Saturday morning to a.) let me know when you plan to arrive and b.) if you need a place to stay for the night.  Even if you are not staying the night, please give a call by Friday.  The more heads-up we have on how many folks to expect, the less stress it is on everyone the day of.

We do not have child care at this point and the clean up sites may be a toxic or unsafe environment for small children.  If you need child care, please give me a call so we can brainstorm some possibilities.

Please stay flexible and pack your patience.  Things are changing quickly here and are pretty scattered- people are scrambling to rebuild roads, get cars out of creeks, shovel mud out of houses and yards, clean houses, pull up carpet, deliver water, etc.  I don’t know how much things will change by Saturday- I do know we’ll still need your help.

Please pack everything you need for the day- some roads are still one-lane and so getting out of Varney and into town (closest wal-mart- about 45 minutes away) would be time and resource intensive- please see below for suggestions on what to bring.

Directions
We will meet at the Varney Community Center Saturday morning at 8:30am.  If you get in later, someone will be there to offer direction.

Please drive slow and watch for spots in the road where the pavement has chunked off into the creek- be careful.

From Williamson/ points West:  MAP
Come into Williamson on Hwy 119. Turn onto 52 South. This will twist a little through town and then you will see the train yard on your right. Come out of town and over the mountain.  Stay on 52 South.  Merge w/ Hwy 65 South and you will see a bank on the right and a gas station on your left. Stay on 52/65 south.  Come into Taylorsville – diner on your right (65 splits right here) You stay straight on 52 south for several miles (no more than 5?)- you will start to see signs for Varney.  Keep an eye out for the community center on your Left- the Old Varney Grade School (stop and ask anyone if you can’t find it ).  You will see it up and back from the road- play ground – cars in the parking lot- red brick building.  There may be national guard trucks there.

From Charleston/ points East: MAP
Come down Hwy 119 South (Corridor G), pass logan. about 10-15 miles south of logan, turn Left onto Hwy 65 South.  Stay on 65 South through Delbarton – one right hand turn to stay on 65. Vear Left (Away from Williamson) and Merge w/ Hwy 52 – bank on your right, gas station on your left.  Stay on 52/65 South.  Come into Taylorsville – diner on your right (65 splits right here) You stay straight on 52 South for several miles (no more than 5?)- you will start to see signs for Varney.  Keep an eye out for the community center on your Left- the Old Varney Grade School (stop and ask anyone if you can’t find it ).  You will see it up and back from the road- play ground – cars in the parking lot- red brick building. There may be national guard trucks there.

** If you are coming from the South, please consider driving through Pikeville to Williamson or through Charleston.  I do not recommend coming up Hwy 52 and through Gilbert- it is not as quick as it looks on a map and is a difficult drive on a good day (without post-flood conditions and pieces of the road missing.)

What to bring
Boots to get muddy and wet
Food for yourself and maybe some to share with other volunteers (we don’t have anything coordinated to feed people, especially since we will likely all be spread out at different homes.)
Water, Drinks
Rake, shovel if you have it
Rubber gloves, rags if you have them
Sleeping bag, pillow, etc. If you are planning on staying the night.

Items to Donate (if folks want to donate)
Rakes, Shovels
Cleaning Supplies
Rubber Gloves
Bleach
Rags

THANK YOU!