One of the women I respect the most is from a place called Minot, North Dakota. It's a place where airmen and construction workers ply their trades and rest their heads. It's a conservative town where kids play hockey and retirees golf, much like it's sister city Moose Jaw, Canada. But right now, Minot is a city under water, with 11, 000 people homeless and 4, 000 residences severely flooded.
The Souris River runs from Saskastchewan through North Dakota and back up to Manitoba. Due to severe raining, 2 dams in Saskatchewan had to be relieved of pressure as the reservoirs overflowed. Various communities in Saskatchewan and Manitoba are flooded right now, but no place felt the flood like Minot. The dams were originally built as a result of the last flood Minot experienced in the 1960's, but there was just no containing what is considered to be worse than a 100 year flood. Combine this with nonstop rains and you have one hell of a natural disaster.
Minot is a city with a huge wage cap that causes the average income to be significantly lower than the national midpoint. Many folks in Minot work 2, 3, or 4 jobs to support their families and floods are not covered by home insurance. Since Minot was considered flood-proof, most people didn't even know they could purchase Federal flood insurance. But, for the first time in 32 years, Minot is swimming and thousands of people are left without even the most bare necessities.
The water is unsafe and people need to be fed. Emergency homes need to be provided and then extensive repairs to the ones that survive. And it all costs money, and I know Minot's not the trendy kind of cause to lend a few bucks to, but as a town with some great people, I think you should open your wallet if you can.
You can donate to the Red Cross or a larger group, but the money will have to change a lot of hands before it assists the hard-working people of Minot. I strongly endorse donating directly to the Minot Area Community Foundation's Disaster Recovery Fund so that the people who live around the Souris River get the help they need as quickly as possible. And you can do it with a click.Photo courtesy of the CBC
Thank you for this! My boyfriend who
ReplyDeleteIs a civil worker risking his life EVERY DAY for the City of Minot as a Fire Fighter lost his home in SE part of the Souris Valley in Minot ND. He also runs a side business as to eco what you were saying about the wages being lower in the state than any other and flood insurance wasn't even an option. My boyfriend 1 of the bravest people I know and a TRUE HERO as a current City of Minot Fire Fighter for the last 10 years already came dangerously close to giving the Souris river more than his house when he rescued 4 people off the roof of a pick up truck that was washed off the road due to 10 feet of flood waters covering the road his lifeline broke and I almost lost him...this was exactly 8 days prior to the 1st mandatory evacuation at the end of May when we moved him out.people is a REAL TRAGEDY everything these people work 2,3, or 4 jobs to build has been destroyed and they got to wait and watch it happen. Thank you again for giving the people of Minot a voice!