70+ Volunteers Tackle Flood Cleanup in New London

When floodwaters finally receded in New London, Wisconsin, they left behind something almost as overwhelming: mountains of waterlogged furniture, ruined drywall, and debris piled high along every curb.

But residents aren't facing the cleanup alone. Over 70 volunteers with Samaritan's Purse spent this week doing the dirty work that makes recovery possible.

"There's this little opening about the size of a cellar window, and so we just had to crawl in there," volunteer Stephen Book explained. He squeezed into dark crawl spaces beneath damaged homes, pulling lights behind him and hoping he wouldn't encounter any unwelcome critters along the way.

Fortunately, he found only insulation and mud. The volunteers tore out soaked drywall, removed contaminated insulation, and hauled debris from basements and first floors across the city.

Program manager Jacob Rutz said the international disaster relief organization mobilized quickly when they saw how widespread the damage was. Basements, crawl spaces, and ground-level floors throughout New London took the brunt of the flooding.

The Ripple Effect

The physical labor matters, but so does something less tangible. High school volunteer Zander Rolf said seeing how grateful homeowners were made the exhausting work worthwhile.

"It's super cool to see other people wanting to help and how appreciative homeowners are to see volunteers like us up here," Rolf said. After weeks of uncertainty and overwhelm, residents are finally seeing progress.

The volunteers represent what happens when disaster strikes and communities refuse to let neighbors face recovery alone. Instead of feeling abandoned with impossible cleanup tasks, New London homeowners are watching strangers crawl through muddy spaces on their behalf.

Samaritan's Purse plans to stay in New London through May 16, with the possibility of extending if more help is needed. The organization continues accepting calls from homeowners who need assistance at 833-747-1234.

Sometimes recovery looks like 70 people willing to get muddy together.