Midwestern Flooding

The Prairie Star District Board has set up a flood relief fund to accept donations to assist Unitarian Universalists whose homes were damaged or destroyed, or whose livelihoods were affected, and their congregations. You can donate online. (Checks can also be mailed, see address below.)

from Nancy Heege, District Executive of Prairie Star District:

• Update: August 14, 2008
• Update: July 10, 2008
• Update: July 3, 2008
• Update: June 30, 2008
• Update: June 27, 2008
• Update: June 24, 2008
• Update: June 18, 2008
• June 17, 2008

Update: August 14, 2008

The good news is that, thanks to the generosity of people all over the country, over $16,000 has been raised for the Flood Relief Fund, in support of UUs affected by the flooding in Iowa in June. The more sobering news is that the cost for repairs and recovery continue to rise, sometimes in unexpected places.

In Cedar Rapids, for example, Peoples Church, along with around 200 other customers, relied on the municipal steam system for their heat. Steam was a by-product of the energy produced at a coal-burning power plant, and it resulted in an inexpensive heat source for buildings, as well as for sterilization of instruments at a nearby hospital. Flood damage to the power plant was extensive, and the company operating it may decide not to repair it. The distribution system to send the steam to downtown buildings was flooded, so there’s more damage there. If the energy company brings in natural gas to produce steam, the costs are likely to be three to six times higher than previously. Peoples Church, St. Luke’s Hospital, Coe College, a hotel, and the other businesses that depended on the steam system are now scrambling to figure out how they’ll heat their buildings this winter and how much it will cost.

Your generous contribution to the Flood Relief Fund will make a difference as we help the UUs and congregations affected by the floods. Contribute by clicking on the links on this page. Thanks in advance!

Update: July 10, 2008

Update July 10, 2008

Thanks to the generosity of Unitarian Universalists all over the country, our flood relief fund has over $10,000 to help UUs whose homes and lives were affected by the flooding in Iowa. All of us appreciate your gifts.

We have recruited a team of four respected District people who will make decisions about how the money will be used. They are Dori Bader [long time member and leader at All Souls UU Church in Kansas City, MO]; Chris Greene [former District President and member of Michael Servetus Unitarian Society in Fridley, MN]; Karen Kress [former member of the District Board and Program Council and Commissioned Lay Leader at Blue Hills UU Fellowship in Rice Lake, WI]; and Rev. Mary Samuels [current member of the District Board and Minister Emerita at Minnesota Valley UU Fellowship in Bloomington, MN].

It is not too late to donate money to the fund. See the section above.

Update: July 3, 2008

With her permission, I am sharing this piece written by Mary Kathryn Wallace, member of the UU Church of Iowa City, Iowa, about their experience.

My husband and I live in Iowa City and had a mandatory evacuation of our home because of the 2008 flood of the Iowa River. Heroic sandbagging efforts were not enough to keep the water from destroying homes, businesses, and the environment. Flood stage is 22 feet and this June the river rose to 33 feet. We had 3 feet of water in our condo.

Prior to the flood, volunteers helped us move most of our belongings to our upper level. Our bigger things were put on cinder blocks. When we were able to return to our home we walked into a muddy, stinky place. It was overwhelming to think of rescuing what we could before the mold took over.

Sunday, June 22, was one of the first days we could remove our belongings. At church I asked those who could help to come at 1 o'clock. I had no idea what the rescue project would look like. Here is what happened.

21 UU’s donning boots, gloves, masks and working for hours came to help us.

The next day I spoke with my immediate neighbor in the flood area. He asked me who all my helpers were. I told him I made a request at church and that was the result.

“What church do you belong to?” he asked.

I stood even taller and proudly said, “I am a Unitarian Universalist!”

“Which church do you belong to?” I asked.

He mentioned a well-known denomination. “We’ve received many calls saying, 'We’re praying for you.'”

I said “UU’s believe in deeds not creeds.”

My neighbor said, “I really agree with that!”

My husband and I have never been prouder to be UU’s. We are truly part of a beloved community and our hearts are filled with gratitude.

Update: June 30, 2008

When we were in Florida for General Assembly, District President Kathy Bowman, Phil Lund, and I met with district leaders of the Heartland District and with Rev. Ken Brown, District Executive of Pacific Southwest District. Ken has had experience with several disasters in southern California, from wildfires to earthquakes, and shared the process his district put into place to administer the funds collected from generous Unitarian Universalists in those situations. We are setting up a similar process in our district, and I’ll update that for you as soon as it’s in place.

I’m pleased to be able to say that as of today, more than $7,000 has been donated to our Flood Relief Fund, from people in our district and from all over the country. One woman from Indiana sent a check and the copy of an insert she had placed in her congregation’s Order of Service last week. The insert gave information on how to contribute and noted, “Many of you may remember when my basement flooded and I lost many personal mementos and furniture – and many of you helped me by lugging all that waterlogged stuff upstairs and outside, and offering me moral support. That experience had a major emotional impact on me, and I can’t even imagine the depth of the devastation these recent flood victims are experiencing. I lived in Iowa City for several years, and seeing the flood photos on their newspaper’s website moved me to tears, so I sent my donation to the Prairie Star District.”

On behalf of all of us, thank you, Jan — and to everyone who has donated. We appreciate your generosity.

Update: June 27, 2008

We are pleased to announce that as of today, the Prairie Star District Midwest Flood Relief fund has collected over $2500, from about 30 donors. Thank you to all who have contributed so far, to assist Unitarian Universalists in Iowa whose homes were damaged or destroyed, whose livelihood was affected, and their congregations. Donations are still being gratefully accepted.

Funds are also being collected by the Heartland District for Unitarian Universalists in Indiana affected by the flooding there.

Update: June 24, 2008

Hello from sunny Florida! I’m in Fort Lauderdale for General Assembly, and every third person I see says, “And how are you doing?” They’re all concerned about our congregations because they’ve seen the photos and read the articles about sandbagging and shoveling mud and muck and wearing hip-high waders.

“Well,” I tell them, “I’m doing fine, but our people have sure been through a tough time!” And here is the latest from my conversations with them.

Cedar Rapids — I ran into the Interim Minister today. She said they’ve just learned that the home of one congregation member was destroyed by the flood, and the son of another member lost his home. Marlene said, “And we aren’t going to move back into our rental home, because the bedroom and the study were destroyed – not by floodwater, but by the heavy rains before the flood. When I left home, black mold was already starting to grow on the walls.”

The congregation has responded to the disaster by taking action to help others. Their web site has added a long section on resources available to flood victims, as well as ways for people to volunteer their assistance. It’s here: http://www.peoplesuu.org

Burlington — Yesterday I talked with a congregation member. She said that the Mississippi River had been pretty high and that parts of the downtown had been flooded. The fellowship’s building is on high ground, as is much of the city. Congregation members have been checking in with one another, and everyone is okay. One family had damage to a cabin they own on property near the river, but luckily, no UUs lost their homes. She thanked me for calling.

People in Iowa really appreciate the calls they’ve received, and they are grateful to know that others are holding them in their hearts during these difficult days. This outpouring of concern from other congregations and from individual church members is illustrative of the covenant we have among our congregations – it’s what we mean when we say, “our Association of Unitarian Universalist congregations.”

Update: June 18, 2008

How our Midwestern Unitarian Universalist congregations were affected by flooding:

Iowa

Nancy Heege, Prairie Star District Executive reports: The cities of Cedar Rapids and Iowa City were hit very hard. While the church properties were not damaged, the damage in the cities will affect the economy of the area for a long time to come.

In Iowa City, fifteen UU households were flooded. Some lost everything; others were able to move some or all of their belongings out. Because of where the homes were located, families had not been able to obtain flood insurance, so some literally lost everything. Many are now staying with church members or other friends as they wait to see when they can get started with clean up. In addition, a number of church members are employed by the University of Iowa, which suffered millions of dollars of damage when part of the campus flooded. It’s likely their livelihood will be affected.

In Cedar Rapids, flood waters came within a block of the UU church, which is located in the downtown area pictured so vividly in recent news photos. The downtown is devastated. While the damage is still being calculated, it’s clear that church families will be affected by the losses to the economy of the area. As far as the leaders know, no church families had damage to their homes except for some wet basements.

Both of these, and other Iowa congregations, are working on ways to help their own members and their larger communities and will be working with local agencies such as the Red Cross.

In checking with other UU congregations in Iowa, I didn’t hear of major damage to church property or to the homes of members.

Indiana

Nancy Combs-Morgan, Acting Heartland District Executive, reports: I spent Sunday morning [June 15] with our Terre Haute, IN congregation, who amazingly went forward with a moving installation service for Rev. Amy Kindred. On Saturday, I was with them as well where they literally were shoveling mud and dirt from the drive to make it accessible for the Sunday service. The congregation is rallying and their church and church grounds are OK. They do have some congregants who have experienced damage, including retired minister Rev. Doddie Stone, who had folks from the congregation respond to her house flooding with great support and direct assistance. The congregation movingly devoted the Sunday morning collection for those who have lost so much in this disaster.

Our Columbus, IN, congregation, with Rev. Dennis McCarty, are OK, but Columbus was extremely hard hit. They do have at least 4 families in their congregation who have lost everything (many without insurance).

Wisconsin

Ian Evison, Congregational Services Director in Central Midwest District, reports: In Central Midwest, the direct impact on our congregations has been less substantial. The most direct affect we have heard of so far as been to the Fond du Lac congregation. I spoke on Monday to the president of that congregation, Judy Goldsmith. People in the congregation have water in their basements and there is six inches of water in the lower level of their new building. They have not heard of any injuries to anyone in the congregation. And, in a stroke of good luck, the new carpet for their lower level had not yet been installed. It seems that, after a bid clean-up job, they will be able to move in as planned. To assist with the clean-up and to help this congregation in its move to its first home of its own, the Central Midwest District is making a contribution on behalf of all its congregations and our wider association. This money will come from funds we all contributed last Fall during Association Sunday.

As waters roll south, we may hear of damage to other congregations in Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri. We’ll update our Web sites as we learn more.

How You Can Help:

While it will be some time before all the damage estimates will be completed, the districts most affected – Prairie Star and Heartland – have set up funds to accept donations for UU families and congregations most affected by the flooding. The District Boards and Staff will create distribution systems to assist those in need.

June 17, 2008

Hello, and thanks to all of you who’ve contacted us with questions about the flooding in Iowa. You’ve heard on the news about two cities in particular – here is the news on how UUs were affected there.

Cedar Rapids — although the church is located in the downtown area, the water did not reach the church building. It came within a block. The flooding in the city was devastating, and an early damage estimate, according to the congregation president, is $1 billion. Many peoples' lives will be affected. Those whose homes were not flooded may lose their jobs.

The congregation met on Sunday for worship in an Episcopal church that let them use the space. They were able to get into their own building yesterday for a couple of hours, and they were escorted in by National Guard troops. The congregation will be working with the Red Cross and other agencies to help with cleanup and recovery. They may offer their building as a respite location for volunteers.

The church is checking with their members to see who needs assistance.

Iowa City — the church property has not flooded, but there may yet be some risk because a nearby creek, which empties into the river, could back up and flood the area.

The congregation met for worship on Sunday in their own building, and then spent a couple of hours carrying things from the basement up to a higher level and sandbagging around the building.

The congregation president says that around 15 UU families lost their homes to floodwater. That includes their minister, Nancy Haley, whose condo flooded. Some people [including Nancy] were able to move all their belongings out before the water came; others moved some of their things; still others have probably lost everything. Many could not obtain flood insurance, so damages won’t be covered by insurance.

The river in Iowa City has started to recede, but it could be several days before people are allowed to go back into their homes to assess the damage.

Elsewhere in PSD — we’ve checked in with other congregations. What we’re hearing so far is that most UU congregations weren’t affected by the floodwaters.

Last evening Ian Evison, of Central Midwest District, Nancy Combs-Morgan, of Heartland District, Harlan Limpert, of the UUA, and I had a conversation to pool our information. It appears that the Iowa City and Cedar Rapids congregations in Iowa are the most strongly affected so far. The congregations in Columbus, Indiana, and Terre Haute, Indiana, have also been considerably affected. In the Central Midwest, the direct impact on congregations has been less substantial.

What help is needed? Many people are calling or emailing to ask how they can help. Our district has set up a fund for donations that will assist people in our District -- Unitarian Universalists whose homes were damaged or destroyed, or whose livelihood has been affected, and their congregations. You can donate online. Checks can be sent to Prairie Star District, 122 W Franklin Avenue, Suite 303, Minneapolis MN 55404, with “Flood relief” in the memo line.

There may be opportunities for volunteers to help with the cleanup, and information about that will come later, too. The recovery will take a long, long time.

In the next few days we will get a fuller picture of what is happening in all three districts and anywhere else affected. As we know more, we will place more information on the websites of all three Districts. Thank you all for your concern.

— Nancy Heege