More than 60 Home Depot associates volunteered with Operation Blessing to help clean up water-damaged homes in Norfolk.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia - Orange and white t-shirts blanketed parts of Norfolk and Virginia Beach last week as part of a combined volunteer effort and disaster preparedness event between The Home Depot and Operation Blessing.

On Friday, more than 60 store associates from 12 local stores spent the day helping residents in Norfolk clean up after recent flooding left extensive water damage to homes.

Operation Blessing disaster relief teams have been on the ground for several weeks helping residents of the low-income neighborhood gut their homes and replace drywall.

“I had no flood insurance because they told me this was not a flood zone,” said 60-year-old Zena. “I don’t know what I would have done without their help … they came to my rescue.”

Operation Blessing and The Home Depot teamed up for a one-day special event to help prepare families for disaster.

On Saturday, the partnership continued with a special event to kick-off National Disaster Preparedness Month.

Operation Blessing’s disaster relief team and convoy of vehicles, including their mobile command center, kitchen unit, shower trailer, and construction trailer, staged a disaster relief demonstration in the parking lot of a Virginia Beach-based Home Depot store. OB staff visited with customers, gave tours of the vehicles, handed out disaster preparedness information, and gave away OB Prepared Kids backpacks to children.

In coordination with the event, Home Depot associates also hosted a children's workshop.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
You can help by making an online donation toward OBI's disaster relief efforts. With your support, we can continue to provide emergency relief and recovery. Please make an on-line donation today.

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