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

Published - Sunday, February 17, 2008

In Rushford, there is hope for normalcy

By Amber Dulek / Winona Daily News

RUSHFORD, Minn. — The path to recovery is far from the yellow brick road.

Two-thirds of Rushford went under water Aug. 19 when rains overflowed Rush Creek. Stories of courage, heroism and close calls followed.

The city of 2,350 became known for its “Never Give Up” attitude as they were knee-deep in muck and surrounded by devastating loss.

Many Rushford residents still remember how lightening blasts lit up their way along water-filled streets while moving to higher ground in the early morning hours. The flood knocked out electricity, destroyed the wastewater treatment plant and polluted the water supply.

“All we had was a little hope and some people willing to work at it,” said City Administrator Windy Block. “We’ve gone a long ways to come back from that.”

Damages have reached more than $6 million in infrastructure-related expenses, but Rushford will need to spend another $8 million to replace its wastewater treatment plant this spring, Block said. Street repairs and well issues will add to the bill.

“If we had a major fire, we’d go on a boil order again,” he said.

Block said 367 of the town’s 670 residential structures were affected by the flood, including 36 mobile homes and 35 rental structures. Four churches and more than 65 businesses were damaged. Building damages reached almost $23.5 million, according to the Fillmore County Assessor’s Office.

The debris is gone and most Rushford businesses have come back — some in temporary, new or expanded locations. Places like the dollar store and McGeorge’s, with its infamous Texas burgers, will be missed.

The city saw an increase in snowmobile traffic and expects the same with summer motorcyclers, Block said. Local spots like Stumpy’s and the Rushford Creamery are likely to draw crowds once again.

The business district may be open, but it’s clear the residential areas are not.

Many homes are mid-construction, and several still have the neon spray paint marks and uninhabitable notices on their doors, insulation showing and windows knocked out.

About 75 families remain in Federal Emergency Management Agency trailers, Block said, and no one has closed their building permit. Some residents have moved away, and Block said a housing study coming out at the end of the month will probably confirm that.

“The businesses thought once we were open, people would flock in and, as much as we’d like that to be the case, it’s not,” Block said. “Residents have seen shortfalls in their financial packages to put together the houses they want and need.”

He knows some residents already have and will have to again make tough choices on whether to stay or go, and spring will be an important indicator whether families return to rebuild.

Block believes displaced residents will come back, and the attitudes toward recovery are strong. But he said it will be at least two to three years because there are too many “unknowns.”

“When you stare at it every day, you wonder if you’re getting there,” Block said. “The infrastructure part has gone as well as to be expected. It’s always easy to focus on the shortfalls and the negatives we do have, but today we can walk out on the street and there’s a lot of hope things will return to normalcy.”

Contact reporter Amber Dulek at amber.dulek@lee.net or (507) 453-3513.