wfn.org | Flood Victims Dread Next Spring

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"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS 97" by SUSAN PEEK on April 15, 1997 at 14:24
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Note 518 by UMNS on Dec. 22, 1997 at 15:25 Eastern (5349 characters).

CONTACT: Linda Bloom				     706(10-21-71B){518}
	    New York (212) 870-3803		Dec. 22, 1997

NOTE: This is the first in a series of four stories about relief efforts in
the flood-ravaged Upper Midwest. A sidebar accompanies this story, and
photographs are available.

Upper Midwest flood victims fear
winter could bring more problems

				A UMNS News Feature
by Linda Bloom*

	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."
# # #
     *Bloom is News Director of the New York Office of United Methodist News
Service.
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