Friday Cleanup Notes

Thank You!
Wow, we have been blessed with at least 600 volunteers this week!  It is hard to imagine the amount of hours of service that have been donated.  In particular we would like to take this opportunity to thank the students from Washington Catholic, Lincoln High School, Washington High School, and Home-school Ambassadors for all of your service this week!

Volunteer Work
The remainder of the work for Friday in the city limits looks to be raking, sweeping, picking up of small debris, and putting debris trash bags by the road side.  We have identified two trees down on the Eastern side of town as well that will require chainsaw work. Outside the city limits we have a bit more of debris moving to do as we move west along Highway 150 toward Etiennes (HN's) market.  Please wear work boots if available to reduce the risk of injury from nails.  Remember to first check in at the Volunteer Center located at the Assembly of God on 320 S. Meridian St. We are hoping that our our most immediate clean up needs to be complete by the end of the day Friday.

 Barricades
Police barricades will remain up through Friday at 4pm to protect our victims and volunteers from traffic.  Please do not drive your vehicles around the barricades and drive slowly around the area.

Victims Needing Help
If you are a tornado victim needing any assistance please call the Connections helpline at 812-257-2650.  If a volunteer does not answer, please leave a message and you will be contacted.  You may also visit the Volunteer Center on Friday to report a need.

Materials Donations
Our community is currently not asking for any more material donations.  The known needs for food, cleaning supplies, and clothing have been met at this time.  Furniture Connections is taking furniture donations for tornado relief. If you have a question about donating please call 812-257-2650. Thank you.  We are currently working to handle our surplus.  Thank you for your desire to help.  

Monetary Donations 
We are currently seeing an increase in those needing help to get into more permanent housing.  We are also starting to get requests for moneys to repair the electrical riser (estimated at $550 for materials and installation) on the house so that the electric company can get power to the house.  See groups below to help donate to these causes.

Daviess County Organizations Active in Disaster is equipped to receive funds for tornado disaster. Donations are being received. Send checks to DCOAD or United Way of Daviess County, PO Box 224, Wash. IN 47501, marked "Tornado Relief".   [DCOAD includes DC Emergency Management Agency, DC Sheriff Department, DC Health Department, American Red Cross, United Way of Daviess County, et all].  Applications for 'need' come through "Connections", at 257-2650.    If you are making a monetary donation to Feed My Sheep or the United Way checks can be dropped off at the Home Building Savings and Loan with "Tornado Relief" in the memo field.


Red Cross is taking donations at their office location on 21st Street behind Old National Bank.


Salvation Army donations could be brought to the trailer they have set up on location at the Volunteer Center on Friday.  

All of these groups have been a big help to those in need in our community!

Community Hospitality
Please remember that we have many from surrounding communities traveling and sacrificing their time, money, and effort to serve our victims.  Please show them Washington hospitality.  Treat them like they were welcome guests in your own home.  Consider letting them in front of you in line, anonymously covering their bill in restaurants, sharpening their chainsaws and plugging their nail filled tires at a discounted rate, or reducing their hotel costs.   Make sure that all of our visiting volunteers feel welcomed and get the best treatment Washington can give!

Thursday & Friday Cleanup

From the Mayor's Meeting concerning cleanup on Thursday and Friday

Thank You!
Thank you for your overwhelming response in helping our community cleanup.  The efforts have been a tremendous success!

Volunteer Work
The remainder of the work for Thursday and Friday looks to be raking, sweeping, picking up of small debris, and putting debris trash bags by the road side.  Many garden rakes, wheel barrows, and flat blade shovels have been donated.  Please wear work boots if available to reduce the risk of injury from nails.  Remember to first check in at the Volunteer Center located at the Assembly of God on 320 S. Meridian St. We are currently expecting our clean up needs to be complete by the end of the day Friday.  Thanks again for your service!

Electrical Wires
Please do not approach to pick up any power lines laying on the ground.  Wires may still have current.  Please call the electric department to report downed lines that need to be removed or report them at the Volunteer Center located at the Assembly of God on Meridian St.

Barricades
Police barricades will remain up through Thursday evening to protect our volunteers from traffic.  Please do not drive your vehicles around the barricades. 

Victims Needing Help
If you are a tornado victim needing any assistance please call the Connections helpline at 812-257-2650.  If a volunteer does not answer, please leave a message and you will be contacted.  You may also visit the Volunteer City on Thursday to report a need.

Materials Donations
Our community is currently not asking for any more material donations.  The known needs for food, cleaning supplies, and clothing have been met at this time.  We are currently working to handle our surplus.  Thank you for your desire to help. 

Monetary Donations

Daviess County Organizations Active in Disaster is equipped to receive funds for tornado disaster. Donations are being received. Send checks to DCOAD or United Way of Daviess County, PO Box 224, Wash. IN 47501, marked "Tornado Relief".   [DCOAD includes DC Emergency Management Agency, DC Sheriff Department, DC Health Department, American Red Cross, United Way of Daviess County, et all].  Applications for 'need' come through "Connections", at 257-2650.   

The DCOAD [Daviess County Organizations Active in Diaster] grew out of the DCLTRC [Long-Term Recovery Committee] formed in 2008. The mission statement is,  "To meet the need[s] for ongoing coordination & preparedness among communities [in Daviess County] by providing volunteers, financial, spiritial, physical and/or psychological support for individuals whose lives have been ravaged by a natural disaster in Daviess County.

To provide collaborative leadership in the discernment of long-term needs for recovery and rehbilitation that can be most effectively met by this community.  This mission is establilshed to prepare, protect & care for the citizens of Daviess County before, during & after a disaster."

Contact people for DCOAD are:  Paul Goss, DCEMA;  Ken Pierson, Director;  Sherry Davies Case Manager;  Brenda Sobecki, Physical Agent; Cindy Barber, secretary;  Richard Smith, board chr.

If people want to help the Red Cross as we continue to help those affected by the tornado. Monetary contributions can be mailed to PO box 350 or dropped off at the Red Cross office, 307 SE 21st Street in Washington.

The Mayor's Message

Here are messages from Mayor Wellman regarding tornado relief for Wednesday, 11/20/13.  Please

share through your social media networks to reach the Washington tornado victims. 

Barricades:
No one but tenants and volunteers with wristbands are to be inside the barricaded areas, day and night.  Those who drive around street barricades will be subject to ticketing.

Community Needs:
Homeowners and tenants in the affected area who need food, supplies, work to be done, or other help are asked to go to the Assembly of God Church at Meridian and Harned to let us know of the need.  Please see Angela, Christopher, or Natalie.

Volunteers:
Volunteers are asked to go to the Assembly of God Church at Meridian and Harned to register to work and to get a wristband identifying you as a welcomed volunteer.  Please wear appropriate clothing and work boots due to hazards of working in debri areas.

Work:
Our chainsaw and heavy equipment work in the Sycamore Street area is winding down drawing the focus more on small debri removal.

Food:
The Salvation Army will have food available for volunteer workers and tenants affected by the tornado at the Assembly of God Church on Wednesday as follows

• Breakfast - 7:30am
• Lunch - 11am to 1pm
• Supper - 4pm to 5:30pm

Donations:

• Cash donations to help families may be made to the Daviess County United Way and dropped off at the Home Building Savings Bank or mailed to P.O. Box 224.  Mark your check with the word "Tornado".
• Feed My Sheep is also accepting cash donations
• Feed My Sheep drop-off barrel has been placed at Feed My Sheep (601 Oak Street) for non-perishable food, toiletries, and paper good donations.
• Donations of furniture should contact Connections at 257-2650 from 9am to noon Monday through Friday , or leave a message.
• Clothing donations may be made to St. Vincent DePaul or to Goodwill (when they re-open)

Trash Pickup:

• A reminder that on Thursday a city trash truck will be located at Lemon & fourth Street from 8am to 10am and at Meridian & Sycamore from 10am to noon for the convenience of affected tenants to take spoiled food & household chemicals & trash.
• A reminder to place trees & limbs, metal, and lumber at the street side in separate piles to have it picked up as soon as possible. 

Burning: 
A reminder that burning of building debris and leaves inside city limits is prohibited.   Clean wood may be burned.

Scams: 
Please beware of scam artists in the area.  If you have any questions about whether or not an offer, bid, or "contractor" is legitimate please contact the Washington Building Commissioner's Office at 812-254-8208 to see if a contractor is registered to do work in the city. 

Damage Reports:
Help our state assess damage by reporting on the state website.  Follow this link: http://www.in.gov/dhs/
 
Once again, please share this message through out social media networks in the Washington area.