A CLASSIC TALE: S.E. MN floods, 2007

August 23, 2007 - Thursday

S.E. Minnesota flood Current mood: restless We've had flooding in our area. Mostly the small towns to the east of Rochester. There were seven fatalities when cars were washed off roads and into small creeks that had become raging rivers. Because of the proximity, I had to find a way to appropriately respond to people's suffering while not getting in the way of professional emergency workers. I took my meager spending money and bought as much water, bleach, sponges and food as I could afford. I suited up and headed east to the troubled towns I had heard about. The first town I got to is St. Charles, about 25? miles east of here. I asked around town where the flood resource center was and easily found it. There were five nice ladies operating it. I introduced myself as a superhero from Rochester and they laughed and made some very good-natured jokes. I think I made their day just by giving them some humor. But I left them with about a quarter of my supplies as they admitted that other towns were worse off and that their town's recovery was underway. They told me I could get to the next town, Lewiston, which was about ten miles from there. They also said that I probably wouldn't want to risk driving much further than that. On my way out I met some of the townspeople showing up to ask for donations and they also got a couple of smiles from meeting me. I met a minister who was tending the church lawn and asked him where to go to donate. He told me, but said that Lewiston was doing okay. He said I might want to go light on the donations to Lewiston and give more to the next town, Stockton. He said that people in Stockton had lost nearly everything. One house was lifted from its foundation and rested on the center of the railroad tracks. I dropped off a case of bottled water and some bleach at the Lewiston Government Center. They took it and said that they'd send it to Rushford, which I had thought was impossible to get in or out of. On the way to Stockton, the devestation was unimaginable. Bluffs had fallen, bridges had broken and railroad tracks looked like curled ribbons. Stockton was a mess. People's belongings were heaped in their front yards. What used to be a pretty little rural town is now a mudpit. I was glad to have over half of my donations left for this place. It was apparent that everyone needed whatever they could get. And most of these people don't have flood insurance. Almost everyone had a project they were working on in their front yards. I asked around about where to donate and was directed down a muddy street clogged with construction vehicles and mini-bulldozers (cats) pushing mud around. I found "The Command Center" and saw a couple of trucks from the Salvation Army with volunteers unloading supplies. Bottled water, cots, food and clothing. Policemen were everyhere. I raised my arm and called out, "Sir?" to a County Patrolman. He looked my way, placed his left arm on his taser holster, and stepped toward me. As I've mentioned, I don't wear my mask on humanitarian efforts, but with the hat, glasses, boots and other gear, I realize I still look kind of freaky. I said, "I've got some supplies to donate. Is this where I do it?" He relaxed to normal posture and said, "Yeah. Right over here. Follow me." He showed me where things were to go and he headed out. As he was leaving, I said, "Thanks a lot. I'm a superhero from Rochester." He laughed and drove off. As I unloaded case after case of bottled water, another cop pitched in. "Is all this going in there?", he asked. I said, "Yeah. All of it." Inside the center, it was chaos. A woman asked me how this works, should she just take what she needs? I told her that I wasn't the one to ask, that I was just here to donate. Dozens of people, with their arms full, we were dodging each other - headed in with full arms, out with empty arms, to that corner to stack the water, to the table for bleach or food. The Salvation Army Captain was directing his people, a town volunteer was directing his. Kids were sorting through a box where their Dad was telling them to find shoes that fit them. I told someone inside that I'm a superhero from Rochester and it cracked a couple people up. It lightened the mood. I had a time commitment in my civilian identity, otherwise I would have liked to have stayed to help more. But my vehicle was in the way of others, so I headed out. And it started to rain. Again. -With more rain expected to fall this weekend. That's the last thing these people need. If you can help any of these towns, please contact the Salvation Army or the Red Cross. Thanks.