Minot...Why not?

Two weekends ago, I drove from Minneapolis, MN to Minot, ND. It wasn't a personal choice to make the trip. I wasn't excited about the extended hours alone in a car. So, why did I go? The car I had been able to use for this past year needed to be returned to that organization. A few days after learning of the need to return the car in person, I learned of a possible ride back to Minneapolis (alleviating the need to take the train).

I had heard bits and pieces about flooding in the area, but wasn't really sure what that meant. Amtrak wasn't running at the time. I arrived in Minot and stopped to get a few snacks for the car ride back to Minneapolis. Almost everyone in line around me was buying bottled water. I saw individuals from Salvation Army, Red Cross, and Mennonite Disaster Relief. Suddenly, the impact of what flooding must mean was a bit more real. I spent the night at a church which was also hosting a work weekend 'retreat'. The following morning I got in a car with three strangers and we set out toward Minneapolis.

Along the way I learned about how they'd spent the past 7 days in Minot. If I'm remembering correctly, 25% of homes flooded. It's been decades since flooding of this sort has happened in Minot so most were unprepared. I saw pictures of homes that were filled with standing water for days. Piles of trash lined the streets.

I'd never really known what flooding meant for a home. I learned during the car trip that everything is stripped from the home. Sheetrock is removed. Belongings are discarded. Everything that has been touched by flood water is impacted. Often basements need to be pumped/sucked out. Once everything has been removed, the remaning boards are treated to kill any mold that might be lingering. Houses are then left two dry out. They expect that the earliest families will be able to even think about rebuilding is next spring. They'll spend this winter sharing homes with other families or living in FEMA trailers (some of which I passed during my drive to Minot). With MN winters, some people are concerned that the trailers will be warm enough during the winter months.

All this lead me to wonder why I'd not heard about Minot. I didn't even know there had been flooding. I wasn't aware that many families were dealing with the loss of their homes with little hope of being about to be home for Christmas...or maybe even Easter. I didn't know.

Now I do and I'm struggling with what to do. I'm not sure that I can go and tear down sheetrock. I don't think I can invite a family to move in with me. My heart was touched and I'm trying to figure out how to reach out with compassion. I'd love to fill a bus with friends, showing up in Minot ready to work hard for a week, or even a weekend.

Why not?