Story originally printed in the Winona Daily News or online at www.winonadailynews.com

Published - Monday, September 24, 2007

Keep those in need at the forefront

By Maggie Modjeski

A month ago the lives of many residents of Southeast Minnesota were forever changed as flash flooding devastated much of the region. This disaster at one point had been on the forefront of most everyone’s minds as the community and many agencies were rapid to respond to friends and neighbors, with donations, fundraisers and just plain old dirty work as houses and businesses were mucked out.

Now it has started moving to the back of our minds, especially those of us who weren’t directly affected. However, there are many facts that shock community members when they hear them.

In 2006 the devastation that Katrina caused to the Gulf Coast region grabbed the attention of the nation. According to Federal Emergency Management Agency numbers the impact here, per capita, was just as devastating if not worse. Communities such as Stockton, Elba, Rushford and Minnesota City were washed away in a matter of hours.

FEMA reported numbers last week to a group of Winona County organizations working on the long term recovery. So far in the region 80 percent of the individuals who have registered with FEMA have been eligible for some type of assistance. In comparison, most major cities with disasters only 40 percent of those registered are eligible.

The statistics are heartbreaking, and as we move on there are only a few more weeks to register for assistance. If you were affected, even in a minor way, please call or get to the Flood Resource Center. If you receive assistance, it won’t hurt anyone else’s chances of receiving assistance. Our “Minnesota nice” mentality has people staying away because of that concern.

I walked through Rushford a few weeks back and it was a ghost town, empty buildings with color-coded signs orange and red indicated the buildings were not safe to enter; green, yellow, and blue signs marked those that were safer. Many of the buildings had a different sign with bright red letters quoting Winston Churchill: “Never, Never, Never, Quit.”

On another street corner a muddied plastic Santa stood with a sign outside the shell of a completely gutted home. The sign read “Merry Christmas in September thanks to volunteers.” This ghost town has a spirit that will not allow the town to fade away, just come back stronger than ever.

As the days pass by, the disaster is moving into the next phase, homes are dried, gutted and now the real work needs to begin: Electrical wires need to be replaced, plumbing work needs to be done and reconstruction will begin.

The winter months are breathing down our necks as we watch the leaves change and the days get shorter. Families will begin working at a breakneck pace to have their homes repaired before the snow flies.

As we move into this next phase volunteers of all types will be needed to help, especially those with construction backgrounds.

Organizations such as Lutheran Social Services, The Salvation Army and many others with disaster rebuilding experience have arrived to help coordinate these efforts, but the need is still there for volunteers.

On Sept. 1, more than 55 volunteers were deployed from the Flood Resource Center to Minnesota City, Stockton and other parts of Winona County for cleanup duty. Last Saturday, the number had dwindled to 20 volunteers, even though the flood hotline still rings with people who need help — moving waterlogged furniture or raking debris out of a yard.

Over the next few weeks there will be many media releases with flood-related updates sent to the papers, radios, churches and other places which may disseminate the information. These releases will be asking for specific types of volunteers. If you find yourself with a few hours on your hands and think you can do the job please consider volunteering.

The rebuilding of all communities affected will be a long process, and as the days go by the most important thing that we can do as a community is keep those in need in the forefront of our minds.

Maggie’s e-mail address is maggiem@hbci.com.