GRANITE CITY, Illinois — Volunteers are ripping up rain-ruined floorboards at Gena Griggs' Granite City home, hauling them outside and dropping them into the claws of a Bobcat loader.
At the controls is volunteer Don Ile with the Southern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief team.
"You know, we were a little bit surprised," Ile said. "We'd heard there'd been a lot of rain in this area, but there wasn't a whole lot of publicity."
Ile and his wife came from Albion, Illinois, Wednesday night, about two hours away. When they arrived at Griggs' home Thursday morning, they found local teams ready to join in.
"We're happy to have that," Ile said. "We've had probably a greater response from local people coming to help this time than we ever had, so I'm happy to see that happen."
One of the local volunteers is Alex Show. Homeschooled, Show follows the high school schedule in his at-home curriculum. With school still out, he's about to help out.
"Yes, everyone's been working until they drop really," Show said. "It's very hard to do that. It's pushing your limits to try to help somebody that most of us don't even know. But it's a calling."
And for the homeowner, Griggs, who'd been praying for help, she says someone was watching out for her when she needed the manpower most.
"God works in mysterious ways, is all I gotta say," Griggs said. "I'm forever grateful for that."
Ile's group is formed of Illinois residents, but there are more SBC volunteers coming in the next few days, including teams from Tennessee, Ohio, and South Carolina.
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