MERRIMACK, N.H. (AP) – A small army of volunteers turned out this weekend to help residents clean up devastating flood damage.
Around 60 volunteers fanned out on Beacon Drive and Island Drive to help tear down soggy drywall and insulation and throw it away.
“To see your house in the Dumpster is a strange thing,” said resident Jon Lyon.
Lyon and his wife, Victoria Agnew, have moved with their children, Sam, 4, and Erica, 7, into the Residence Inn.
Lions Club member Pat Murphy called for residents and area organizations to come together to support flood victims. She said she knew the community would be willing to support each other, especially because the damage caused by last year’s Mothers Day flood was still fresh in the minds of many.
“I knew the impact we had last year,” she said. “They were devastated. They needed help. Believe me, they needed help.”
On Island Drive, resident Ken French worked with volunteers at his home.
French has lived in the neighborhood since 1972. He said before last year, he had never seen damage quite like the flooding from the last two years.
He must install new rugs, ceilings, walls and electrical circuits all less than a year after they were replaced because of the Mothers Day flooding.
Wanda Gallagher, a Merrimack resident for 20 years, said the devastation her neighbors faced could only be answered by helping them in any way she could.
“It feels good in the heart,” she said, tapping her chest while standing outside Frenchs garage. “It feels good to know that other people are helping out and feeling the same way.”
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