History
is repeating itself from a tragic page:
devastating flooding is now occurring
along 200 miles of the Mississippi River, from
Iowa on down, rising to the disastrous level
that Katrina in which destroyed a large portion
of New Orleans in 2005. These Mid-West
residents have been quoted on television that
they watched the ruin of New Orleans then, never
dreaming that it would happen to them one day.
Still,
the national news coverage, photos and videos,
as dramatic as they have been, do not fully
reflect the extent of the devastation: dozens
of levees from both the Mississippi or smaller
rivers, have either overflowed or broken and
caused intense flooding into, not only the
designated flood plain areas, but towns that are
miles away from these Rivers and would not have,
and do not have, flood insurance. Homes and
businesses are shown to be under 12-14 feet of
water. Residents are also having to sandbag
their farmlands to prevent destruction of the
crops.
Results: The results
of this catastrophe are unimaginable and
mind-boggling on both the economic and human
levels:
• homes
and livelihoods have been destroyed: houses are
uninhabitable, appliances and cars sit piled up
on top of each other in peoples’ front yards;
•flood
waters as well as drinking water are full of
toxins;
• one
local mayor was quoted as essentially saying
that “there will not be enough insurance,
private or public [FEMA] to cover the damage.”;
• ships
that would otherwise deliver goods and products
into the economy cannot travel down the River,
thus impacting the Economy;
•farmlands that become submerged will lose their
crops, further impacting lives on a national
level.
To say
that these floods have caused life-changing
events for these cities and their families is an
understatement. The residents are willing to,
and have begun to take steps to rebuild their
lives, businesses and communities. However, it
will also take many years of hard work and
assistance from the charitable communities, both
locally and nationally, to help these people get
back on their feet. We are currently working
with non-profits in the Iowa City area to learn
what they truly need. We are also preparing a
Link from our website to theirs so that we can
hear from them before putting out a Needs List
so that items are not duplicated. This link will
be updated once the needs are identified. We
are also partnering with Hilltop Rescue with
whom we worked during Katrina.
Current Needs:
Shower Trailer for the Volunteers, trucks,
drivers, trailers, and very
importantly, help with fuel cost. We have
learned that the main arteries for the affected
cities, I- 80 and 380, are now open and will
allow us to get there.
Please
help. We know that asking for help in these
distressing times, when people have already been
giving, is a tough sale, but these folks are
truly in need. Unlike a hurricane or tornado,
there was no warning and no thought of their
levees breaking. Also, the people of Iowa and
neighboring states, helped a lot with Katrina
and they also donated hay to Frederick County
farmers when we went through our severe drought
several years ago. It is now time to pay it
forward and help our neighbors in need.
Thank you
for your help and may God bless your servant
heart.
Debbie
Williams,
Founder Tom and
Garnet Lynch
Michele Kennedy, Secretary
