Dear VIM Leaders and Friends of Mission,
If you're following the flooding in North Dakota and Minnesota, and thinking
of organizing a team to help, please read the following article. It was
forwarded by Greg Forrester, NE Jurisdiction VIM Coordinator.
Residents care for each other
Faith organizations help residents of ND, MN, focus on message of hope and
courage as immediate crisis eases.
BY STEPHANIE BACKUS | FARGO, ND | March 31, 2009
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Hope and courage is the message United Methodist pastors in North Dakota and
Minnesota want to send to their congregations as fighting the Red River's
waters continues.
"They were encouraged, again through hope, to continue to build and to
continue to be vigilant in walking the dikes," said the Rev. Debra
Ball-Kilbourne, of the North Dakota United Methodist Conference. "And if
people were feeling shaky or frightened, or had health issues or young
children, (pastors told them) to evacuate. It was a solid message -- to know
yourself well and do what you need to do for yourself and your family."
Ball-Kilbourne said many in the United Methodist Community met together to
talk about the flooding.
"Not all of them met, and most of the groups who did, met together. The
pastors did a wonderful job of trying to instill hope and courage, and to
provide pastoral care," she said.
Pastoral care an important aspect of disaster response, according to the
Rev. Greg Kroger, Superintendent of the Glacial Lakes District.
"It's important to remind folks to take care of themselves in the midst of a
disaster. To rest, rotate responsibilities and if they wear themselves out
in well-doing early on, they're less effective in the long run," he said.
"It's people caring for each other in the midst of all of this."
The Red River is slowly receding in the Fargo/Moorhead area. National
Weather Service meteorologists believe the river crest early Saturday
morning just over 40 feet. While the crest was a record level, it was three
feet lower than levels forecasted.
For now, Red River basin residents are continuing to monitor sandbag dikes
and levies. One dike gave way to the water, flooding an area around a school
in Fargo. Two of the five school buildings had water damage, according to
officials.
According to Ball-Kilbourne, volunteers worked hard to protect their
community.
"We're coming off of many days now of no sleep. People are coming from all
over to fight the fight against the Red. Just when you think you get the
levies built, (officials) come in and say it's not enough and we have to add
another foot. And you can't just add to the top, you have to go in and add
to the bottom," she said.
But overall, Ball-Kilbourne said there is a sense of calm in the community.
"There's really been no panic. People are feeling quite calm, but there are
moments as we lose a house here or a house there that there's a very natural
fearfulness," she said. "There have only been about six houses that have
been lost. That's an incredibly small number for such an incredible amount
of intense labor in the worst conditions ever."
Jim Anderson, a member of the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance National
Team, agreed that calm is in the air.
"Today, there's a breath and sigh of relief because of the way that the
river has started to come down. It seems to be coming down relatively fast.
We also saw a fair amount of exhaustion because people were trying to save
their homes," Anderson said.
According to Ball-Kilbourne, volunteers have beenworking in the rain and
cold, along with wind and blizzardous conditions, but it was all to save
communities along the river.
"What they're doing is an amazing battle. Most of us have been there to help
and we're so proud of them. The Red is a complicated river and it's an
amazing thing they're doing, but this battle is going on in lots of our
communities, depending on their size and where they are on the river," she
said.
While volunteers have been key to protecting residents in the Red River
basin, Ball-Kilbourne stressed the importance of having volunteers on
standby for when clean-up begins.
"There are a couple of things volunteers can do to help. First is to
organize themselves well before they come. The second is don't come yet.
We're not ready. We're still fighting the fight," she said. "We'll need lots
of mucking out and lots of building. They shouldn't be calling churches or
pastors. Right now, everyone is fine. It's overwhelming folks here who need
to check on people building dikes.
"And they need to pray, and they need to pray hard. In about two weeks,
we're going to be asking for volunteers to come in, but boy, then we'll be
ready, and we'll be the best hosts we can be."
Ball-Kilbourne suggested that teams who want to volunteer should organize
and announce a time to leave after different faith-based disaster
organizations make a call for volunteers.
Anderson went to Moorhead, Minn., after a church closed down from fear of
flooding in the neighborhood. He went to help the church pastor keep in
touch with her parishioners, but the area never flooded, so Anderson has
spent his time in the metro watching the flood situation up close.
"The good news is that the Red River crested quite early Saturday morning
and is now below 39 feet. Our process now is to at least provide support to
the presbytery in general. The thing that we're doing right now is to help
the presbytery help prepare plans of what to do now in the clean-up period,"
Anderson said.
Anderson said volunteers will be called on to help clean-up more than three
million sandbags filled by volunteers to protect the area.
"Volunteers will be helpful in that respect and in helping in the minimal
cleanup of houses. We're not going to know what's needed for another week to
10 days," he said.
With an area that lies along the river, Ball-Kilbourne said Fargo/Moorhead
residents have shown great resilience.
"The Dakotas have been people of great challenge and huge fortitude and
faith. I guess we're finding out (through this disaster) that we still are."
Gregory A. Forrester
UMVIM NEJ coordinator
32 N. Church St
Cortland, NY 13045
607-756-7799 office
607-756-7957 fax
www.umvim.info
www.umvimnej.org
"I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we
must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do."
~ Leonardo Da Vinci
~~~~~
Keep me posted about your VIM activities.
Diane Miller
WPA Mission/VIM Coordinator
724-652-9182
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