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On Tuesday, the town’s residents gathered on fresh green grass at its first major gathering at the park since before the August 2007 floods.
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Marlene Huston, left, of Rushford, offers a hand to Mason Yonts, 4 months, as she greets his mom, Jennifer, of Rushford, Tuesday evening at a picnic in Creekside Park. Yonts lost her mobile home when the Bluffview Trailer Court flooded in August of 2007 and Huston, a volunteer with the Lutheran Disaster Response, helped Yonts, her then 2-week-old son, and her 7-year-old daughter move out of their Federal Emergency Management Agency trailer in May, back into a home in Rushford.
(Photo by Melissa Carlo/Winona Daily News) |
With more smiles than tears, the town marked the anniversary of the disaster. But perhaps more importantly, a year of hard work helping rebuild the small community.
The event was sponsored by the Rushford Area Chamber of Commerce, Rushford Community Foundation and Rushford Area Disaster Alliance for Recovery — groups that weren’t sure how or even if they should commemorate the near destruction of their town, said RADAR secretary Gail Boyum.
But after speaking with other groups that helped in different crises, the Rushford organizations understood they had to acknowledge the milestone for the town to move ahead.
“The anniversary of a disaster is a critical day,” Boyum said. “We wanted to help lift people’s spirits up.”
When planning began three weeks ago, Boyum told Brad Hoiness, who owns Rushford Foods with his father and is president of the Rushford Community Foundation, to expect about 1,000 people.
Hoiness wasn’t sure that many people would turn out for what could have been a very somber event.
“I was a little skeptical,” Hoiness said.
But that skepticism disappeared Tuesday after he made the first of several trips back to the grocery store for more food. At least 1,000 people were lining up past the once-flooded tennis courts for hot dogs, baked beans and other donated food.
Rushford residents exhibit an obvious pride, seen in shirts declaring “I survived the Rushford Flood” and “Never ever give up.”
Crystal Schroeder, 34, and her husband Colin, 33, moved to Rushford from Winona five years ago. The night of the flood, Crystal was in the Twin Cities with their children, Tovah, 9, Merrill, 8, and Zane, 3. Colin was in La Crosse for a motorcycle charity ride.
“You have survivor’s guilt for being out of town,” Crystal said. “We didn’t have to go through the evacuation.”
They live a block and a half from Rush Creek. Their home flooded, but not to the extent of people who could never go home again. By October, they thought they were done with repairs. Then they had to rip their chimney out. In January, they discovered a huge crack in the header beam of their home.
Colin took three and a half weeks off of work unpaid immediately after the flood to work on the family’s home. Since then, he’s taken a handful of other days off to keep doing repairs.
“You think everything is done — and it’s not,” Colin said. “You get to the point where you don’t want to pick up a hammer. You’re so damn tired of it.”
And yet they feel luckier than most. It’s made it difficult to ask for help.
“I can’t ask anyone for anything,” Colin said. “I’ve called in all my favors.”
Gene and Cindy Bendickson, both 52, moved to Rushford from Stockton in 2001. Their basement flooded, destroying quilts, their furnace, hot water heater and boxes of clothes for their foster children. They stayed at the former TRW Automotive plant for a week.
“We were afraid if we left town, we couldn’t get back in,” Gene said.
“We wanted to be close to the information,” Cindy said.
On Tuesday, they couldn’t help but think how different things looked just a year ago. Their 11-year-old son, Bryan, hopes a new playground gets built soon at the park to replace the tire swing and wooden castle he used to play in.
The anniversary has passed. The work hasn’t. RADAR is still trying to raise funds for the nearly 60 families who need to rebuild.
“There’s still a long way to go,” Cindy said. “People still need help.”
Käri Knutson may be reached at (507) 453-3523 or at kknutson@winonadailynews.com.
August 2007 papers available
A limited number of original papers from Aug. 20 through Aug. 24, 2007, chronicling the flood’s aftermath, are available
at the Winona Daily News. Copies of each day’s paper are available for 50 cents, while supplies last. For more information call (507) 453-3500.
Coming Friday
Find out how the youngest victims of the floods overcame the disaster, told through the experiences of children.
abc123 wrote on Aug 21, 2008 3:20 PM:
Regardless of what anyone says about Rushford and the floods you have all done a great thing and I think that remembering that fateful day by "celebrating" it is a good thing--look how far you have all come and it is a day that should NOT be forgotten for it truly changed every life in Rushford-Rushford is returning to the vibrant community it was 53 weeks ago!!
Stay strong and NEVER,EVER GIVE UP!! "