Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Friends and Floods

With all the rain from recent storms, there has been a lot of flooding in our region.  A few people lost their lives.  A few more lost their homes.  Even more lost their livelihood as their livestock floated away or drowned and their equipment was flooded.  No one has flood insurance because they don't offer it with so many rivers around.

Everyone who comes into our office has a story.  Some seem to have been embellished as they were passed around but from the best I can tell, at least one man spent a night in a tree to stay safe and one may have been in his mobile home as it was swept off its foundation and floated to the middle of a field.  Both are fine.

The people in the lesser hit areas are rallying around those who have lost so much.  There are already multiple stations set up for donations of money, clean up items and basic necessities.  Volunteers are stripping houses faster than anyone thought possible so they can dry quickly and be salvaged.  There is a constant communication of needs and a counterflow of provision.  A church near the hardest hit town has opened their sanctuary as a distribution site.  Neighbors are checking on neighbors and even paddling boats over what used to be roads to bring help where it's needed.  The water is receeding quickly but the love being poured out shows no signs of diminishing.  I celebrate the generousity of spirit that I am seeing. 

I only wish it didn't take a crisis to bring it out in us.

~MM

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