{"id":813,"date":"2011-08-08T16:37:24","date_gmt":"2011-08-08T22:37:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/disasterresponse\/?p=813"},"modified":"2011-08-12T12:54:21","modified_gmt":"2011-08-12T18:54:21","slug":"field-report-missouri-river-valley-and-minot-north-dakota","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/disasterresponse\/field-report-missouri-river-valley-and-minot-north-dakota\/","title":{"rendered":"Field Report: Missouri River Valley and Minot North Dakota"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Missouri River flooding in Sioux City: Photo Credit FEMA<\/p><\/div>\n

Dear Sisters and Brothers:<\/p>\n

I am Kevin Massey, Program Director for Lutheran Disaster Response<\/a>.\u00a0 I’m in Minot North Dakota this week connecting with these flood affected communities and people that I met last month <\/a>when I was here.\u00a0 Volunteer operations are underway to help clean up and plan for repair and rebuilding a little down the road.\u00a0 Information about how you can help is below.<\/p>\n

But first, I began my travels last week visiting communities along the Missouri River.\u00a0 The ELCA Western Iowa Synod <\/a>organized workshops\u00a0at St. John Lutheran Church <\/a>in\u00a0Council Bluffs Iowa and at Augustana Lutheran Church <\/a>in Sioux City Iowa.\u00a0 We gathered Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Assembly of God pastors from Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota serving in communities that have lived all spring and summer under the threat of flooding.<\/p>\n

When I was driving from Council Bluffs Iowa to Sioux City Iowa, I had to follow a detour to avoid a portion of Interstate 29 that is closed due to flooding.\u00a0 I remembered how nearly six months ago<\/a> I stood on an overpass of this same Interstate 29 north of Fargo and saw it underwater.\u00a0 So many communities have spent months and months enduring flooding that seems endless.<\/p>\n

From the Missouri River Valley I flew to Minot North Dakota.\u00a0 When I was in Minot a month ago the water was still up and we hadn’t been able to assess yet the damages to so many homes, churches, and business.\u00a0 The water is down now, and the results of catastrophic and heart breaking.\u00a0 Thousands of people remain displaced.\u00a0 Thousands of homes are ruined, some beyond repair.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I delivered cleaning supplies to a volunteer group working on gutting out a flooded home in Minot.\u00a0 This home is across the corner from Christ Lutheran Church<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0 I met three wonderful Lutheran volunteers working at this home.\u00a0\u00a0 Dennis and Diane Wiesenborn, members of St. John Lutheran Church<\/a> in Fargo and Vic Voth, a member of Concordia Lutheran Church <\/a>in Red Wing Minnesota were working on gutting out the home of a Minot couple in their eighties.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Pictured left to right: Diane Wiesenborn, Vic Voth, and Dennis Wiesenborn.<\/p><\/div>\n

These wonderful volunteers are what this ministry is all about.\u00a0 Lutherans from around the country give so much to love and serve their neighbors.<\/p>\n

Later I visited the flooded home of Pastor Heather Brown and her husband David Iversen\u00a0 in Minot.\u00a0 Pastor Brown serves the Trinity Lutheran Parish <\/a>of Glenburn and Lansford North Dakota north of Minot.\u00a0 Pastor Brown’s home was flooded two feet over the first story.\u00a0Heather described the generosity and hard work of parishioners of her parish who pitched in and accomplished the necessary gutting of the home.\u00a0 Pastor Brown and her husband are arranging to live in a FEMA trailer on the property of one of the parishioners until repairs to their home can be accomplished.\u00a0 Heather shared, “We could not have made it through this without our wonderful parishioners!”<\/p>\n

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Pastor Heather Brown at her flooded home in Minot<\/p><\/div>\n

I admired Pastor Brown for her courage and optimism in the face of her loss.\u00a0 She described that so many people lost more and have harder rebuilding ahead of them.\u00a0 She brings a sense of hope that even though many face hard work, they are not alone.<\/p>\n

Please pray for the people of all the areas of North Dakota that have been affected by this catastrophic flooding.\u00a0 Many worry about being forgotten and we can remember them continuously in our prayers.\u00a0 We pray also for those affected by many other disasters, such as tornados across the country in places like Joplin Missouri and Cullman Alabama.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While volunteer operations in many parts of the country are still unfolding, Lutheran Disaster Response in North Dakota is ready to host volunteer groups from the region and outside the region to help in clean up in Minot and other communities affected by flooding.\u00a0 Please share this opportunity with your local Lutheran congregations and organizations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0To register call: 218-443-4970 .\u00a0 You can also go to www.lssnd.org<\/a> and complete the Clean-up Volunteer Form and fax it to 701-298-7763 . Volunteers are asked to get an updated tetanus shot and\u00a0are required to wear long pants and thick soled boots or shoes on site.<\/div>\n
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Information about housing for groups is available when you call to register.\u00a0 Available housing\u00a0is austere and volunteers are also invited to camp in tents while volunteering.\u00a0 Tools that would be helpful, but not required to bring include:<\/div>\n