"AmeriCorps Members Go Above and Beyond with Flood Disaster Relief" February 1996
During a Valentine's Day tour of flood damage in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, President Clinton promised residents of Woodland, Washington, "I pledge to you that I will do everything I can to see that we move as quickly as possible to do as much as we can, everything we're allowed to do within the law." Meanwhile, AmeriCorps Members from the Montana Conservation Corps, Northwest Service Academy, Washington Conservation Corps, Salmon Corps, EnviroCorps, and Streamwalk had spent several days getting things done.
Before most of the country was aware of the crisis, AmeriCorps Members were sandbagging homes and businesses and recruiting and coordinating community volunteers. "In three cases, Scappoose, St. Helens, and Peninsula Park in North Portland, NWSA Members were the first Red Cross presence to arrive in affected communities," reported Joe Parvankin, director of NWSA's Metro Center.
Throughout the weekend, Corps Members constructed and staffed overnight shelters, assessed damage, directed traffic, and guarded blood supplies. They have continued to clean homes and businesses, staff a flood hotline, protect waste water treatment facilities, and raise funds for the relief effort. Mark Dwyer, regional supervisor at Montana Conservation Corps, stated "We continue to be available as the needs arise."
With over 7,000 applications for federal disaster aid-for a flood that Washington Governor Mike Lowry termed "the most expensive natural disaster in the history of the state"-these AmeriCorps Members truly deserve praise for "above and beyond" service to communities.
Areas that received assistance from AmeriCorps Members include: Barton, Bozeman, Cedar Mills, Chelan County, Dufur,Estacada, Fairview, Helena, Lincoln County, Milwaukie, Molalla, Mosier, Portland (Johnson Creek, Lloyd Center, Peninsula Park, and along the Hawthorne Bridge and the Willamette River), Salem, Scappoose, Skamania County, St. Helens, The Dalles, Thurston County, Trout Lake, Troutdale, Vancouver, White Swan, and Wilsonville.
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