HARMONY - After the immediate work was done feeding and aiding the flood victims in September 2004, those who organized the relief effort at Grace Church of Harmonyn realized the need for a permanent group that would be in place should another disaster strike.

Enter Claudia Jones, a Calvin Presbyterian Church member who helped with flood relief at Grace Church.

"Grace Church did such an outstanding, unbelievable job," said Jones. "But we needed to put long-term plans in place so in the future, services would not be duplicated and immediate needs would be easily met."

Jones talked to Tom Franz of Butler County Flood Relief, who told her about a United Methodist program called the long-term recovery committee. Franz suggested the committee be comprised of one representative from each church in the Zelienople-Harmony area. He said a committee would create long-term disaster planning and be trained on managing people and situations during a catastrophe.

Jones went into action, and the Zelienople-Harmony Long-Term Recovery Committee was chartered on Dec. 14, 2004. The 25-person committee is funded by the United Methodist Church, which also provided caseworker training to the new committee.

Jones recalled important facts she learned during the training sessions, including the generalization that the most dire situations in a disaster last four days.

She learned to multiply that number by 10 to get the days of immediate relief needed, then to multiply that number by 10 to get the number of days needed in long-term relief.

Anxious to get started, the committee compiled a list of 162 people or entities in Harmony and Zelienople who were hurt by the flood in September 2004. The group then split up into two-person teams and did neighborhood walks to gauge the level of assistance needed by flood victims.

"A lot of people were OK, but some still needed help," said Jones.

Not content to simply point people toward the correct agencies for help, the committee members rolled up their sleeves and jumped into the post-flood cleanup effort.

"Our first workday was in April, when we cleaned up three lots on Jackson Street," said Jones.

Two workdays in June, July and August were planned, and congregations were solicited for manual labor volunteers.

Work done included providing Dumpsters, cleaning up and sometimes burning damaged cabins and mobile homes, hanging drywall and painting.

"We discovered labor and hard work were a bigger need for us than money," said Jones.

The new committee is now planning a remembrance potluck dinner from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday at Grace Church for victims, volunteers and emergency responders.

Jones said instead of memorializing the sadness and devastation caused by the flood, the dinner will celebrate the robust and enduring spirit of those who weathered the storm.

"We will make it a part of the community's history," said Jones, "to show we came together, overcame and survived."