- Volunteers help a Houston homeowner rebuild after Hurricane Harvey. (Photo Credit: Ed Mayberry)
- Sylvia Garcia, left, watching volunteers gut her flooded home, remediate mold and help rebuild. (Photo Credit: Ed Mayberry)
- Reese May, SBP's national director of recovery, with volunteers from AmeriCorps. (Photo Credit: Ed Mayberry)
- Volunteers helping with rebuilding a flooded home on Marleen Street. (Photo Credit: Ed Mayberry)
- Volunteers from Toyota and AmeriCorps help with remediation and rebuilding. (Photo Credit: Ed Mayberry)
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Sylvia Garcia found five feet of water in her home when she returned after the storm.
“We lost all of our clothes. (Ed: “Pictures, things like that.”) Pictures. Precious pictures that my mom had.”
The volunteer group SBP is trying to shrink the time between disaster and recovery by utilizing manufacturing expertise. Mike Goss is with Toyota North America.
“So we have shared with them a lot of stuff like Toyota production system — how to make homebuilding go faster. Recently, J.J. Watt’s foundation stepped up with a donation to support this cause.”
SBP was founded in St. Bernard Parish following Hurricane Katrina, and has helped rebuild homes for more than 1,300 families around the country. Reese May is the group’s national director of recovery.
“So we look for vulnerable clients — the elderly, low and moderate income families receive priority because, again, we’re trying to help those who are in sub-market conditions.”
SBP organizes AmeriCorps members and volunteers to gut homes, remediate mold and rebuild. Homeowner Garcia says having total strangers donating their time to help her family get back into their home gives them hope.
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