![\"Rebuilding](\"https:\/\/missiontimescourier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/IRT1.jpg\")
<\/a>But wait, wasn\u2019t that state affected by superstorms and floods years ago? Yes. IRT\u2019s mission statement is to \u201calleviate the suffering caused by poverty and disaster around the globe, from the forgotten corners of the world to right here at home \u2026 to improve the lives of those who suffer most.\u201d They wade into a disaster area about a year after the event has occurred, after federal aid has come and gone, after insurance files have been claimed \u2014 and help those who still don\u2019t have a home.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe help the people that fell through the cracks,\u201d said Chris Read, construction team leader and IRT board member.<\/p>\n
In 2016, rain poured down on Baton Rouge \u2014 20 inches in eight days. The floods didn\u2019t even get a name, yet they destroyed more than 140,000 homes, businesses, and schools, leaving tens of thousands of people without livable housing. IRT came in in 2017 to help rebuild the homes of those who didn\u2019t have insurance, didn\u2019t qualify for federal aid, or got scammed by contractors.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been almost two years since the floods and many families are still homeless, living in damaged houses, or FEMA trailers. Our volunteers are committed to give their time and skills to restore the homes of the families that were affected by this natural disaster,\u201d said Brett Schwemmer, program coordinator at IRT.<\/p>\n Since their arrival, the IRT groups have helped rebuild 76 homes in the area.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re their last hope,\u201d Read said. \u201cOur goal is to get these people moved back into their house!\u201d<\/p>\n Two of those people were Juan and Rina Aguirre, who will finally be able to go back to their house after almost a year and a half of living in a FEMA trailer.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are very, very, very happy to finally have a home again,\u201d Rina said. \u201cWe are so grateful for all the volunteers. I don\u2019t have the words to express my gratitude. We had lost all hope, and they have restored it.\u201d<\/p>\n IRT brings this hope through partnership with the Louisiana United Methodist Council on Relief and Catholic Relief Services. One of the keys in IRT\u2019s massive effect is working with organizations already set up to help – groups already working \u201cboots on the ground\u201d so to speak. IRT founder Barry La Forgia emphasized that the point is not to get IRT\u2019s name noticed. The point is to meet the greatest need with the resources they have.<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe in partnerships \u2014 they\u2019re much more effective and efficient,\u201d La Forgia said. \u201cYou can\u2019t work as an island, or you\u2019re going to duplicate [the work someone else is already doing].\u201d<\/p>\n The council in Louisiana has already done the case work. They vet the families and find the ones that need IRT\u2019s help the most, arrange the materials, and often provide housing through one of the local Methodist churches. IRT provides the labor, both skilled and unskilled, but always eager to work.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got a group of talented people and we\u2019re very organized,\u201d Read said. \u201cWe\u2019re able to get a lot of work done in a short amount of time.\u201d<\/p>\n The construction teams are often putting the final touches on the homes they are rebuilding \u2014 drywall, flooring, cabinets, trim, etc. Most of the time, the teams of 10-20 are split up into several projects at once. Although they work hard \u2014 this is not a leisurely vacation \u2014 the teams know how to play, too.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a great group,\u201d Read said. \u201cWe\u2019re focused, but we have a good time while we\u2019re at it!\u201d<\/p>\n IRT will be wrapping up their work in Louisiana this upcoming year, and starting to focus on the areas in Texas affected by Hurricane Harvey. They are continually looking for volunteers for the weeklong trips.<\/p>\n Read notes that a construction background is not necessary. There is a significant amount of on-the-job training and the craftsmen team leads \u201chave a lot of patience,\u201d so the most important factor in a volunteer is attitude.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople just need to bring themselves, a willing attitude, and a sense of fun \u2014 and we\u2019ll take it from there,\u201d Read said.<\/p>\n If a weeklong trip across the country is not available, IRT is also seeking help for its one-day house builds in Tijuana, Mexico. Through a program called \u201cNew Homes, New Beginnings,\u201d IRT has already built seven homes and one school room for impoverished families in the informal settlement Fuentes del Valle.<\/p>\n For more information about IRT or to volunteer, visit irteams.org<\/a> or contact Brett at 619-284-7979 or bschswemmer@irteams.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014 Se puede contactar a la escritora independiente Joyell Nevins en joyellc@gmail.com<\/a>. Tambi\u00e9n puedes seguir su blog Small World, Big God en smbgblog.wordpress.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Por Joyell Nevins<\/p>","protected":false},"author":826,"featured_media":230131,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11558","_seopress_titles_title":"Rebuilding homes, lives at home and abroad","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11558,11551,11550],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-230130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mission-times-courier","category-news","category-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/826"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230130"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230130\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Cindi Feldman (Courtesy IRT)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n