INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Volunteers from across the country are helping Central Indiana families clean out homes, remove debris and begin the long rebuilding process.

On 73rd Street in Ravenswood, Samaritan’s Purse crews are gutting homes devastated by flooding.

“What we are doing is taking out 49 inches high of the walls and insulation and then doing mold abatement,” Jane Morgan said, a Samaritan’s Purse volunteer from Wisconsin.

Morgan said the volunteers want families to know they are not facing recovery alone. “Get in there, help them at their lowest point. We know how hurting they are and we just want everyone to know that we’re here for you,” Morgan said.

One homeowner receiving help is 93-year-old George Hibbard.

Hibbard and his wife raised their family for more than 65 years in their Ravenswood home. A carpenter, Hibbard built much of the house himself, including custom cabinets featuring ducks, detailed window trim and red fencing around the property. His family says his wife designed the pieces and he brought them to life.

Floodwaters rose about 4 feet, destroying much of what the couple built over a lifetime.

“This is their home they raised six children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren. He lost everything that he accomplished in his life with his wife,” Brenda Doyle said, the fiancée of Hibbard’s son. “It’s been heartbreaking for the whole family and friends. And all these people who helped have been amazing.”

Crews pulled up the carpet and gutted the walls. They treated the entire home to prevent mold. A single pot sits in the room—the only reminder the space was once a kitchen.

“I’ve never seen that house empty,” Doyle said. “Seeing that house like that, it’s heartbreaking.”

Volunteers are working in the heat to clean and gut the home for contractors and Hibbard’s eventual return.

“It’s just hard watching him go through this,” Doyle said. “We’re all blessed, and we hope he can get back to his home soon because he misses his home.”

Volunteers also preserved Hibbard’s wife’s collection of ceramic figurines, carefully placing them on the porch.

For families across Ravenswood, the road to recovery remains long, but volunteers ensure they do not rebuild alone.

“He’s 93 years old and I see the love and respect for him, and it just warms my heart,” Morgan said. “He is like their world.”

A Samaritan’s Purse spokesman said the group received 92 work orders and had 85 volunteers as of Wednesday. On their third day of work, volunteers have already contributed more than 800 hours of service. The organization says they still need additional volunteers.

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