Dec. 22, 1997

Upper Midwest flood victims fear winter could bring more problems

By Linda Bloom

NOTE: This story is part of a series of stories about relief efforts in the flood-ravaged Upper Midwest. Photographs are here.

In the Upper Midwest, where residents are just beginning to recover from last April's devastating floods, the thought of the upcoming winter brings a shudder of dread.

Eight blizzards struck the Red River Valley in the Dakotas and Minnesota last winter, piling up record snowfall totals of more than 100 inches in Fargo, Bismarck and Grand Forks. The resulting meltdown cascaded river water into cities and small towns, and turned farm fields into lakes.

"There's a great deal of apprehension that next spring could bring the same kind of weather," said the Rev. Richard Fisher, council director for the United Methodist Dakotas Annual Conference.

The Rev. Chuck Purdham, who serves as coordinator of pastoral care and crisis counseling for the Dakotas and Minnesota conferences, agreed.

People have "a high anxiety about the upcoming winter...and they worry that next year might be another flood," he said.

However, the early winter weather has been mild so far.

Although Grand Forks, N.D., has received the most media attention, many smaller communities are struggling too, said Nina Martin, coordinator of the United Methodist Upper Midwest Recovery Project.

In isolated rural areas, the devastation is even more intense.

"A lot of the farm people are in really tough shape," she explained. "When you're talking about farmers and ranchers, it's their life, not just their business."

During April's blizzard, more than 100,000 cattle died in North Dakota, and farms suffered more than $21 million in damages to buildings, machinery and stored grain.

Recovery has been slow for a variety of reasons, according to Gordon Knuckey, chief of field operations and training for the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR).

Damage was widespread geographically in the heavily agricultural region. But the amount of volunteer resources has been limited by the sparse population.

"Farmers and ranchers have limited amounts of time they can give to assist," Knuckey explained. "A lot of the people who could volunteer -- the retired people -- leave town for the winter."

Repairs also are hampered by the harsh climate and relatively short spring and summer, compared to other parts of the country.

Many residents, particularly those in the Grand Forks area, "were just numbed" by the whole experience, said Knuckey, who has consulted with the conferences on flood recovery work.

"You're almost paralyzed for weeks on getting things done," he added. "Your energy is just drained away. It's normal for depression to set in."

Individual household decisions regarding rebuilding or relocating also can be stalled by action that needs to be taken by local government.

Purdham has encountered two major moods among area residents. One has been immense gratitude for the low loss of life and the support that the area has received. The other has been a sense of isolation as they tackle the job of recovery. That stems, in part, from the feeling that they should be able to handle the situation themselves, Purdham said.

Few complain about their problems, said the Rev. Roger Grafenstein, pastor of the United Methodist church in Beardsley, a small Minnesota town that remained wet for months.

"For the most part, people clean quietly, without saying much about what's in the pickup truck or trucks that's being hauled out," he said.

That quietness concerned those offering assistance, Martin said. "As a culture, people up here are very stoic and self-reliant. It was our fear that we wouldn't find people who needed help because they wouldn't be coming forward."

One tactic that worked was "Operation: We Care," held on the last weekend of October. About 72 United Methodists from the region visited church members in Grand Forks, bringing small gifts and asking how area residents were doing.

December saw a dramatic increase in requests for assistance, probably brought on by the slowness of recovery and anticipation of a harsh winter, Martin said.

"I think a lot of people set a target of having it (recovery) done by Christmas, and it hasn't happened," she said.

The euphoria that occurs among residents during the sandbagging period of a flood can deteriorate into anger, frustration and depression as they realize they no longer have control of a situation, said Don Weaver of Buffalo, N.Y., who conducted trauma-related workshops in the region with wife Barbara. Recovery, he said, means regaining some control.

Weaver was impressed when he attended a rehearsal during the summer of an original musical on the flood called "Keep the Faith." The musical, featuring tunes like "Sump Pump Blues," was presented by the Grand Forks Performing Arts Company and involved 280 high school students.

Said Weaver: "It was one of the most therapeutic things I've ever seen in a community."

Source: United Methodist News Service.