Forty houses in six days.
That’s what Detroit area volunteers aim to build and send to those still reeling from Hurricane Katrina.
During SuperBuild, a Super Bowl XL sanctioned event, Habitat for Humanity affiliates from Detroit, Oakland and Macomb Counties will construct 40 ‘Homes in a Box.?
Independence Township resident Stan Smokoska, a North Oakland Disaster Relief Team member, eagerly awaits the build.
‘I’m excited. I wish I could get more time off. It’s fun,? said Smokoska.
‘I think it will give (the victims) a head start in a new city. A place they can call home instead of a hotel or something like that,? he added.
NODRT cofounder Stan Garwood confirmed many individual members are going to the build, but could not provide an accurate number because people had to sign up individually rather than in groups.
‘We’re considering going down with the houses. To send a team to reassemble the house, so we’re leaving March and May open,? said Garwood.
Following the build, which runs from Jan. 28 to Feb. 2 at Focus Hope Warehouse in Detroit, the partially constructed houses are sent immediately to Texas. Once there, the houses are reconstructed and completed.
‘These houses go to Texas where hurricane victims have evacuated and permanently relocated. We’re doing this there because they are ready to rebuild there,? said Steve Campbell Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity Oakland County.
‘In many of the heavily impacted areas, the infrastructure is not ready to build yet,? he added.
Habitat for Humanity affiliates in Texas have agreed to accept the 40 ‘home kits? for evacuee families who chose to permanently relocate there.
‘We’ve had blitzes like this of nine complete houses before, but this framekit blitz is new. There’s only been a couple like this,? said Campbell.
Each day, up to eight lumber packs will be assembled and then taken apart in sections, stacked and prepared for shipment, according to Habitat of Oakland County’s Web site. Volunteers will work from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
‘We will construct each day eight frame kits, which are the lumber skeleton for a complete home,? said Campbell, who noted that some pre-build work was already complete.
The SuperBuild was made possible by the money raised by the Country Cares Concert held by Chrysler Financial on Dec. 8 at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Campbell also credited sponsor MASCO Inc. and other contributing partners for helping make the event possible.
Volunteer slots filled quickly, said Campbell, who estimated 100 volunteers were needed per day. Volunteers are required to 18 years of age for the SuperBuild, according to the Habitat Web site.