NECHAMA will be extending its current tornado cleanup deployment in and around Birmingham, AL to June 30th. This extends our current deployment by fifteen days. Our ability to extend this deployment is dependent upon 1) the availability of meaningful work for our volunteers; and 2) if there is a sufficient number of volunteers to work with us. Later this summer, NECHAMA is planning to undertake a long term rehabilitation and rebuilding effort in the Birmingham, AL area.

Immediately after the Birmingham deployment ends, NECHAMA will be undertaking extensive flood cleanup work in Memphis, TN as a result of the flooding of the Mississippi River and its tributaries. We’ve been told that there are at least 1,000 homes in the Memphis area that have sustained flood damage.

If you and your group are interested in either the Birmingham or Memphis deployments, please contact NECHAMA’s Volunteer Coordinator, Amy Cytron, at acytron@nechama.org. To receive email notices of NECHAMA’s future storm cleanup activities, please register at info@nechama.org.

Thanks for helping NECHAMA to heal the world – one storm-damaged home at a time.

NECHAMA –Jewish Response to Disaster, The Jewish Disaster Response Corps along with the Bronfman Center at NYU and in conjunction with Knesseth Israel Congregation will be opening up a volunteer project in Birmingham Alabama to help the communities of Alabama recovering from the tornados that devastated the state. We will be helping in the cleanup and rebuilding in many communities around the area. People or groups who are interested in joining us in this work should contact the effort by e mail at recovery@kicong.org or by phone at (205) 259-6986. Please join us in this effort.
Sincerely,
NECHAMA-Jewish Response to Disaster The JDRC, and Rabbi Yammer

NECHAMA has spread our resources in many different states: Here is a summary of NECHAMA’s resources.
Adams County-Wisconsin just concluded the clean-up efforts from the tornados.
North Dakota- NECHAMA’s resources are being used by Lutheran Disaster Response for the Red River Valley flood situation.
St. Louis, MO NECHAMA has lent their resources to All Hands Volunteers to continue with the response to the tornados in the St. Louis area. All Hands Volunteers along with NECHAMA has partnered with 2 Colorado AmeriCorp NCCC teams and Americorp St. Louis.
Southern Tornados NECHAMA has a team in Monroe County, Mississippi, specifically Smithville which received an F5 tornado that devastated the town. We are in the process of setting up operations for this area and have the Vicksburg Campus AmeriCorp NCCC team with us. Once this is up and running, we will be assessing more to the east to see if NECHAMA can be of help in the Alabama area.
Minnesota: NECHAMA has a NSCY youth group coming to join us in going back to southern MN to help rebuild after the Zumbro Falls floods from the fall of 2010