When Paul Eberly heard about the severe thunderstorm that dropped five inches of rain on Estevan on July 10, and the damage that resulted, he knew he wanted to help with the recovery efforts.
Eberly, a field co-ordinator for Christian Aid Ministries (CAM) of Waterloo, Canada, and a team of four other people with CAM, arrived in Estevan the day after the storm.
鈥淲e saw on the news there was flooding 鈥� and it looked like there were needs here,鈥� Eberly said in an interview with Lifestyles. 鈥淲e made some contacts with the city here, and they definitely confirmed there was a need.鈥�
They have been stationed out of the Civic Auditorium, where the Canadian Red Cross has set up a flood relief centre.
鈥淲e鈥檙e prepared to be here until it seems like everyone is able to see themselves back into general living again,鈥� said Eberly. 鈥淚t could be three or four days. It could be a week or more if that鈥檚 what it takes.鈥�
The most common task they handled early in their time in Estevan was sewage cleanup, as some people had sewage backed up into their basements.
鈥淭he friends and neighbours have done very well helping out each other here. We鈥檝e been finding that out,鈥� said Eberly. 鈥淭here are still some (who need help). The city is currently putting together a list of people that need help. At the moment, we鈥檝e been doing a bit of door-to-door knocking.鈥�
They might spend an hour or two in a home, where they will pull up carpets, or they could spend at least a day. It depends on how much damage was sustained.
The services they provide to people are free, as they receive funding through donations to CAM of Waterloo, Canada.
Eberly and other CAM team members were previously in Fort McMurray to help people affected by the wildfires in the northern Alberta city. They have also responded to flooding in northeast B.C., and in eastern Ontario.
鈥淟ast year it was quite slow,鈥� said Eberly. 鈥淭here was a little bit of an incident in western Manitoba where we helped out. It just depends from one year to another.鈥�
The team that came to Estevan is made up of people from northwestern Ontario. Another team is currently in southern Alberta, and another is in eastern Ontario.
CAM is a Canadian-based organization that has grown to have an international presence. Since it started a few years ago, it has helped people recover from natural disasters.
鈥淲e try to be relatively strategically located, and it is a bit of an organization, but the flood is the type of thing that we want to respond to,鈥� said Eberly. 鈥淗opefully we can be able to get there while people are still needing help, and help with the initial response of cleaning up by getting houses repaired 鈥� hauling stuff out of basements.鈥�
Eberly became involved with the organization through his church.
Team members have a variety of backgrounds. They typically have some basic health and safety knowledge and first aid training. They usually won鈥檛 be involved with the process of rebuilding a home, but their efforts are appreciated by those they visit.
The CAM team members left Estevan on July 13 to help flood victims in the northeast Saskatchewan community of Arborfield.
