Projects by Year
Marshall Fire | Colorado
30 December 2021 around 11:00 AM 911 received the first call reporting a fire at the intersection of Colorado 93 and Marshall Road. Within 15 minutes extremely high winds drove the fire so hard that it was declared out of control. At 11:44 AM the first evacuation was ordered. By 1:00 in the afternoon winds gusting up to 115 miles per hour forced orders of evacuation for tens of thousands of residents of Superior, Louisville, Broomfield, and unincorporated Boulder County. Heavy snowfall the night of December 31st helped put an end to the fire. The evening of January 1st revealed the extent of the damage, 1,084 homes destroyed and 149 homes damaged.
Hope Restored joined the recovery effort by volunteering with Samaritan’s Purse. The primary activity was sifting (personal content recovery). Other activities included removal of downed trees and tarping two severely damaged mobile homes.
Wind Storm | Colorado
15 December 2021 extreme winds pushed into Colorado Springs. Wind gusts of 107 miles per hour caused extensive damage throughout the city.
Hope Restored was able to join the response in January providing two work days, serving seven families. Our efforts were focused on cutting and removal of extensive tree debris.
Hurricane Ida | Louisiana
Hurricane Ida made landfall near Fort Fourchon, LA august 29th 2021. An extremely devastating Category 4 hurricane (sustained winds of 150 miles per hour), the second-most damaging and intense hurricane in Louisiana on record, behind Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Ida also resulted in widespread tornado activity and destruction, and catastrophic flooding across the Northeastern United States.
Hope Restored joined the recovery effort in January of 2021 by volunteering with Samaritan’s Purse. The primary activity was removal of downed trees.
2021
Phelham Torando | Alabama
March 25th, 2021 a tornado struck the city at approximately 1:30 p.m. There was extensive damage in the Crosscreek and Chandalar subdivisions. 60 homes were affected, 22 of which suffered major structural damage, and many large trees were downed.
Hope Restored joined the recovery effort March 28th of 2021 by volunteering with Samaritan’s Purse. The primary activity was removal of downed trees.
2020
Monroe Tornado | Louisiana
Three confirmed tornadoes hit Ouachita Parish on Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020 just before noon. There were no fatalities. However, 458 homes were impacted: 23 homes destroyed, 108 with major damage, 243 with minor damage, and another 84 homes were affected across the parish.
Hope Restored joined the recovery effort March 14th of 2020 by volunteering with Samaritan’s Purse. The primary activity was removal of downed trees.
2013
Black Forest Fire | Colorado
Black Forest is a community located in Teller County Colorado. The population was just over 13,000 people in the 2010 census. June 11th 2013 at 1:00pm a small column of smoke climbed ominously into the sky. Nine days later on June 20th the Black Forest fire was declared 100% contained. In the nine days the fire burned 14,280 acres (22.31 square mile) were scorched, 509 homes were burned, and two people died, the evacuation area grew to 94,000 acres (147 square miles) affecting about 13,000 homes and over 38,000 people.
Our first up-close view of the Black Forest fire was about 5:30pm the day the fire started as we worked to help a family evacuate where the flames snapped at the air over a hundred feet up less than half a mile away.
Colorado Springs Flooding | Colorado
On Thursday the 19th of September the City of Colorado Springs opened a Disaster Assistance Center (DAC) for the residents along the Cheyenne Creek affected by the Southern Colorado floods. We were invited to be in the DAC and work with affected residents as they came in for help. By the end of the first day the incoming included people from all over the city and people from Manitou Springs. We did intake at the DAC Thursday the 19th of September through Monday the 23rd of September. During this time we wrote 32 work orders. We started to assess the work orders Friday the 20th of September and were able to start to work on the first work order Monday the 23rd. We wrote another 8 work orders after the DAC closed.
Response work performed during the southern Colorado floods included mudout, clearing debris, pumping out basements, and cleanup.
2012
Waldo Canyon Fire | Colorado
June 23rd, 2012 a fire of an undetermined source started in Waldo Canyon about 4 miles northwest of Colorado Springs, CO. The Waldo Canyon Fire was contained in the canyons until the third day. On June 26th at about 4:20pm Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach interrupted a fire news conference with an urgent evacuation order. Winds approaching 65 miles per hour slammed into the fire and sent it careening over Queen’s Canyon and pushed the flames down the slope into Mountain Shadows, Oak Valley Ranch, Pinion Valley, and Peregrine neighborhoods. At 5:30pm Byron and Susan, aided by their son completed their emergency evacuation from their home. Their son, Matt, had left everything behind in his home to help his parents. A little after 6:00pm while working their plans fromthe safety of their church parking lot at Rocky Mountain Calvary (almost ten miles away from the evacuation zone) Byron, Susan, and Matt started to see large pieces of ash, to include pages of a book, land in the parking lot. Within 12 hours 346 homes were lost and the famous Flying W Ranch was destroyed because of the Waldo Canyon Fire.
The ministry started on the first day of the fire with a “Check Point Support Ministry”. In this ministry we took in fruit, water, coffee, and snacks to the first responders at the checkpoints. We met, talked, and prayed with residents from the area. Around 11:00pm the night of the 26th with the ministry facilities in the evacuation zone, we were contacted by Rocky Mountain Calvary and established the Check Point Support Ministry with considerable support from the church. Byron re-mapped the checkpoints at 3:30am the 27th and met the pastors and volunteers at the church at 5:30. The church had gallons of coffee already made, fruit cut up, and snacks ready to go. The teams were in motion before the sun came up.
Other work performed in the response to the Waldo Canyon Fire included working intake at the disaster assistance center, cutting trees, and sifting ashes.
2011
Joplin Tornado | Missouri
The town of Joplin Missouri has population of just over 50,000 people, which swells to over 240,000 people during the normal workday. May 22nd 2011 the workday was coming to a close and many were starting the commute home when funnel clouds were reported at 5:08 in Cherokee County Kansas. Nine minutes later the sirens sounded in Joplin. Eighteen minutes later an EF5 tornado with winds exceeding 200 miles per hour touched down on the west end of Joplin. Over a mile wide the tornado ran for 13 miles through the center of town as it travel out past the eastern edge and into the rural parts of Newton and Lawrence counties.
Terror gripped the thousands of people caught in the big box stores, in the little shops, offices, fast food restaurants, their cars, and homes. The emergency services were immediately overwhelmed. The news reported over 150 dead and much of the town leveled.
On our first day responding to the disaster we crested a small rise and got our first glimpse of the total devastation. A town that used to have streets lined with trees that cut the view from home to home now was flattened out there was a clear view for miles. Homes, trees, street signs were all gone or flattened. Homes looked like they had been dropped into a food processor.