Hurricane • When floodwaters from Gould Wash poured into Hurricane homes, scores of volunteers showed up with shovels, meals and helping hands. After a second flood damaged homes again just over two months later, they returned.

Together, members of the Hurricane Flood Committee — which was formed by a handful of women after the Aug. 14 flood — have raised more than $200,000 in cash, materials, services and equipment to help victims of the floods, according to two of the group’s organizers, Cherie Santiago and Alicia Staples.

Now, several weeks after the Oct. 22 flood hit many of the same homes even harder, the volunteers say they are having to start over.

“Everything we bought and used that money for was all gone,” Santiago lamented.

Still, rather than throw up their hands in despair, the volunteers are doubling down in their effort to make homeowners whole. And if there is a silver lining, members say, it is that the floods have knit the city together in care and compassion.

Hurricane Mayor Glen Fawcett says the group’s response following the floods has been “nothing short of amazing.”

“I’m not sure if the women even knew each other before the floods, but they all came together after,” he said. “They saw a need, jumped in and started helping.”

For Staples, helping was a way to pay forward the kindness her husband Jeff’s family received in 2006, when a flood damaged their homes on Kolob Terrace Road. Back then, neighbors helped clear out the mud and organized a spaghetti dinner to raise money for repairs.

When the flood struck Hurricane in August, Staples and her family committed $30,000 through their company, S&S Steel Fabrication, and worked to find other businesses to match the donation. Staples also went door to door in Hurricane and reached out to her contacts in neighboring St. George to rally more support.

Meanwhile, Santiago is helping homeowners document damage, assess needs and recruit volunteers. They also connected residents with cleanup and repair crews.

Other charitable organizations, including Bridge Utah and Kindness in Motion, also stepped up. So did the Hurricane and Washington rotary clubs. Lin’s Fresh Market and area hardware stores pitched in.

According to Santiago and Staples, the help came in many forms. Community members donated drywall, flooring, equipment and cleanup services, while others offered their labor.

“They were so selfless and giving of their time, putting everything aside to help us and make sure we were OK,” said resident Betty Keil-Stevenson, whose home was ravaged by floodwaters.

Her neighbor Jeremy Lucas — whose own home was severely damaged — taught her how to hang drywall so she could install it herself. Jeremy’s wife, Elizabeth Lucas, also praised the volunteer group for arranging storage containers, recruiting heavy equipment and even helping pay for their new flooring.

Alas, the second deluge flooded many families’ homes before they had recovered from the first. As heartbreaking as the latest disaster is, Elizabeth said the group’ response has been heartening and inspiring. She said volunteers check in with victims nearly every day, helping them find housing, arrange sandbag removal and find donated furniture.

“Without them,” she said, “we would truly be lost. They are the light and hope in all of this darkness.”

Staples said the community response reached far beyond the group. After the second flood, a local stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints canceled the second hour of Sunday services so members could rush to the aid of affected families.

They joined high school students and legions of other volunteers to muck out homes and rip out ruined flooring and furnishings. Meanwhile, she added, neighbors and local restaurants stepped up to feed both victims and volunteers, and Jehovah’s Witnesses brought food — including tostadas — on the first day of the second response.

Chasing larger donations

Santiago said every nickel the group raises goes directly to flood relief. To attract larger corporate donations, she founded Routes and Roots, a nonprofit that received IRS approval just days before the second flood hit. Overseen by a three-member board, the organization directs funds to wherever the volunteer group identifies the greatest need, with an ultimate goal of raising $1 million.

She said the work is practical and personal. After an earthquake hit Northridge, California in 1994, Santiago said, she lived in her car for three months while her family’s home was rebuilt.

“That experience taught me empathy for people facing disasters and the need they have to feel safe and supported,” she said.

Staples hopes everyone will continue to show up for each other and keep that communal spirit alive long after the cleanup and rebuilding are done.

“Like the name of our city, a hurricane brings storms, wind and craziness,” she explained. “But what I saw was these floods created a hurricane of community, love, support and concern.”

Click here to learn more about making a donation for Hurricane flood relief.