By Michael Piwowarski and Bella Lindauer
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June 10, 2020
MIDLAND, Mich. — While thousands of Sanford and Midland residents were being told to evacuate their homes, Nick and Breanna Sklar started to see a path of destruction, devastation and heartbreak caused by the catastrophe. They decided to take action offering guidance and support by creating the Facebook group, Mid-Michigan Dam Emergency Relief Support Group.
“We were on Facebook seeing so many of our friends feel scattered and distressed, not really knowing where to go or what to do next,” Ms. Sklar told the City Paper. “So we briefly talked about starting a group that could serve as a centralized location where people have a place to vent, get the resources they need and just get a little bit more organized and efficient with everything.”
In just one week, the group gained over 1,700 members, and has become a major platform to connect residents affected by the flood to various kinds of information, resources and support from members of the community.
This report was made possible with a grant from M.R. Electric Construction, Inc.
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Mr. Sklar explained that their personal experience with loss was one of the biggest factors when deciding to begin the group, which has made a positive impact on the community.
“So many people are just lost and confused,” he said, “What about insurance? What about my possessions? So many people are just looking for guidance and that just made it easy for us to step in and help.”
The group is broken down into specific topics such as: community events, S.O.S. (for those in need of immediate help), community news, donation exchange and even emotional support.
Group members continuously reach out to volunteer, prepare meals, donate items, and some even offer temporary housing for those that have been displaced. There are also several members that are not residents of Midland County that reach out through the group with items to donate or offering their time to volunteer helping homeowners clean up.
Ms. Sklar explained to the City Paper that the main goal of the group is to “connect the dots for people.”
“For example, if somebody wants to donate items, we want to help them get to the right home,” Ms. Sklar told the City Paper. “What type of donation is it? Is it monetary donations, is it cleaning supplies, is it hygiene products? We want to make things easier for the flood victims.”
During this trying time, with both the COVID-19 pandemic and the flooding throughout the county, the group is offering a real sense of community by bringing people together to simply help one another. Ms. Sklar is amazed at how many group members want to help through donations, volunteering and serving hot meals. Even those in distress have stepped up to help.
“A lot of people don’t know what volunteering looks like, or they don’t know how they can help, so we try to be out in the field and let them know that really anything, any skill you have, even if you have no skills, hands are helpful,” Ms. Sklar said. “Don’t be afraid to give it a try.”
The couple have been volunteering throughout the community, along with balancing their daily work schedules and schooling their daughters. Their initial plan was to dispatch their own crews to help with cleanup, but after seeing the well-organized structure that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints had set up, they spent six days working at several homes per day.
Eventually, they moved on to work with the United Way starting May 26, as they launched their own program to coordinate volunteers. The group seeks to maintain a large footprint so that victims’ needs can be fulfilled.
“We have several people out in the field that we are connected with from most of the areas that were affected by the flood, including Sanford, Gladwin and even out in Shields, so if a group member needs help or sends us an S.O.S., we have people on the ground, with teams in motion, with the ability to get there as soon as possible,” Ms. Sklar told the City Paper.
Mr. Sklar explained how different skill sets are useful during times such as these, stressing that each situation, property and house differs.
“I am an expert at demolition and one of the houses we went into; the owners were concerned with how to tear it down, so I went in and walked them through it, explaining which structures needed to be taken down at certain angles and areas where the water may need shut off,” he said.
This report was made possible through the donations of the following individuals:
MATTHEW FELAN
JIMMY E. GREENE
MICHAEL WESTENDORF
NICK BYARD
LAURA S. PIWOWARSKI
DOUG CELLINI
MATT SHOFFNER
BRIAN H. JEAN
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Even some individuals with no particular skill set have assisted with simpler tasks such as moving and hauling stuff out and ripping carpet.
The couple said that while volunteering in Sanford one day, there was a small group of people working together to clean a family’s home. They introduced themselves and quickly said where they were from, and Nick and Breanna were the only volunteers from Midland in that group. The other volunteers had come from Clio, Kalamazoo and Ann Arbor, as the group has members from all over the country.
“We even had a restaurant from Ann Arbor contact us through the group and they wanted to provide meals, so we connected them to a source that would benefit from their generosity the most,” said Ms. Sklar.
“I think that it’s important for people to know that it’s okay to ask for help,” Ms. Sklar told the City Paper, “It’s okay that you can’t do it on your own. This kind of event is so impactful that nobody can do it alone. It requires a team, all hands on deck. We have experienced a natural disaster that took from us, so we know what it’s like to rebuild, we know what it’s like to lean on each other, and we really want to share what we learned through our experiences.”
Mr. Sklar put extra emphasis on the fact that the recovery effort is entirely community driven.
“I have seen so much compassion this week,” he said. “The homeowners are just beside themselves–they’re at a loss, heartbroken and grieving, sometimes they don’t even understand what’s going on–and when they see complete strangers showing up to help, they are overjoyed and grateful.”
Charities and organizations have also stepped in to help, recruiting volunteers and offering supplies to people in need, showing the compassionate side of Midland County.
Lindsay Henry, content manager at the United Way of Midland County, echoed Mr. Sklar’s sentiment about the response to the flood being a community wide effort.
“The road ahead is one paved in collaboration,” Ms. Henry told the City Paper. “We’re in this together. Everyone is checking egos at the door to serve as boots on the ground and get people the help they need.”
The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation contributed $500,000 to a new fund established by the United Way called the Rise Together fund, to help the families who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the flood. They are also matching additional donations dollar for dollar, up to $500,000.
The Rolin M. Gerstacker Foundation has also contributed $200,000 to the United Way’s fund. Additionally, the Gerstacker Foundation donated $200,000 to the Midland Area Community Foundation’s Flood Relief Fund, and is allocating $350,000 for additional support toward the Midland community and surrounding areas.
TCF Bank, the owner of Chemical Bank, has donated $250,000 to flood relief efforts: $150,000 to Rise Together and $100,000 to MACF’s Flood Relief. Out of the latter, $50,000 is going toward TCF employee assistance and the other $50,000 is being allocated to the Gladwin County Relief Fund and the Gladwin County Community Foundation.
“In a recent meeting with Chemical Bank’s team, I heard that ‘WE had a flood,'” Jenee Velasquez, Executive Director of the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation, told the City Paper. “Our hometown bank is with us […] our communities, their employees and their customers.”
TCF has also announced a $10 million Hardship Lending Program, which offers financial assistance to qualifying Midland County citizens.
Ms. Velasquez says that these dollars are providing hope for Midlanders who have lost so much; the cost of a full recovery can only be uncovered over time.
“We collect more information every day,” Ms. Velasquez told the City Paper. “Recovery from a flood is a marathon, not a sprint.”
The Pack Helps Midland, a group of Northwood University students, organized to raise money for the Midland Area Community Foundation and Northwood. The group sold apparel and raised $9,000 in 24 hours.
Gratzi, Big E’s Sports Grill and Molasses Smokehouse donated 4,000 free meals to front line workers and flood victims, as part of the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association’s “Feeding Midland” initiative.
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Molina Healthcare donated $100,000 to United Way of Midland County, Huntington Bank donated $150,000 through Huntington Foundation, offering assistance to residents affected by flood. Consumers Energy Foundation donated $90,000 to Midland, Saginaw and Gladwin counties; and AT&T donated $25,000 to United Way Midland County and United Way Gladwin County.
The United Way is part of Midland’s Emergency Core Recovery Group, which includes the following organizations: Midland County Emergency Management, Midland County Health and Human Services, the Midland Area Community Foundation, Midland County Salvation Army, and the American Red Cross – Central Bay. Midland County United Way has been in charge of coordinating all volunteer efforts and charitable giving in the area.
“This group created a Midland County Disaster Recovery Plan last summer, so we are prepared and ready to respond accordingly as needs are identified,” Ms. Henry told the City Paper. “As outlined in the plan, United Way’s primary role is volunteer management, and our team is passionate about helping connect opportunities with volunteers to help our neighbors.”
Ms. Velasquez stressed to the City Paper that the United Way of Midland County was “built for this crisis.”
“They were already providing hope to so many through volunteerism and financial support for nonprofits and essential workers during the Covid-19 crisis,” she said. “They sprang into action immediately to help our community respond to the historic flood.”
An online volunteer portal, reliefmidland.org, has been created for volunteers to sign up and for those who need help to be able to get it. Damage assessment, furniture removal and food delivery are among the opportunities that have been filled.
“Just on our online volunteer portal alone, we’ve had over 2,500 people sign up to receive volunteer opportunity alerts,” Ms. Henry told the City Paper. “Over 700 people have filled volunteer slots across the county so far. We are so grateful for the overwhelming generosity of people, corporations and organizations—both in our own backyard and across the nation.”
The United Way also has a supplies donation process. Distribution sites will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. where people can drop off and pick up donations. Such supplies that are needed include PPEs, food, water, cleaning supplies and other household goods. According to reliefmidland.org, these are the distribution centers:
- West Midland Family Center, 4011 W. Isabella Road
- Coleman High School, 4951 N. Lewis Road
- Sanford Senior Center, 3243 N. West River Road
- Meridian Elementary School, 3343 N. Meridian Road
- North Family Center, 2601 E. Shearer Road
- Gladwin downtown – parking lot behind
- Forge Fitness, 237 W. Cedar, Gladwin; corner of Arcade & Grout
- Midland High School, 1301 Eastlawn Drive
Clothing donations are not being accepted in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“So many of us have lost in this flood,” Ms. Henry told the City Paper. “People are ripping up basements, repairing stairs, throwing their items away and putting furniture on the curb. The entire county has been affected.”
The portal also contains access to the Flood Damage Self-Assessment Form from the Midland County Emergency Operations Center, which citizens are encouraged to fill out if they’re facing flood damage. The data is used to deploy disaster relief teams for cleanup.
“It will also serve as our database for long-term recovery, tracking for FEMA and access potential funding for rebuilding,” Ms. Henry told the City Paper.