FLOOD UPDATE - MARCH 30, 2019

RELIEF EFFORT UPDATE/REPORT

In the midst of repairing the wall of Jerusalem, Nehemiah 6:3 records this:

“And I sent messengers to them, saying, ‘I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.’” –(ESV)

Things have been very hectic and ever changing, but we have been involved in “a great work” and thought this Chimes could be a good place to update everyone on what has been done already, and how it has been done, in a bit more detailed fashion than the general outline describing the ministry.  Again, this ministry is supplementary to everything else that is going on, especially in Fremont where there are so many other people providing assistance.  

Our partner agency in this time, No Town Left Behind, has a focus of seeking out and assisting communities and individuals who have been neglected, missed or minimally supplied by the traditional relief agencies.

I would like to share a couple of examples from this week with you.  Someone called from a local social service agency, asking if we had any comforters or heavy bedding.  I informed that individual that there were some last time I looked, and since she is asking on behalf of one of our local helping agencies we are seeking to support, she was welcome to come and pick one out, as well as anything else she might have need for as they are helping others.  She left with a van full of supplies.

More than once, individuals from our church connected us with local families who had een to the local official help station (to which many of us ALSO donated!) and though they had received help, it wasn’t enough to get them through the 3 days they had to wait for more.  Food was provided to take to those families, and/or even a grocery voucher to supplement with food that was not available at the help center.

An outlying station we are assisting, inquired if we had any more rubber boots or gloves (we have given away hundreds already), and he was informed that requests for boots has gone up the supply chain, and we had gloves coming in also from North Carolina, that would be made available as soon as they arrived.  

One day, some supplies came in via airplane, and as the plane was unloaded, several items were not even driven to our site, but taken directly to a church in need of them as they were helping by serving meals.  We were able to offer supplies to that local church that fed as many as 150 people a day on their own.  

Later, we had an individual days after the flood, seeking clothing assistance when shelves were empty everywhere else in town, and we were still able to assist with that need.

The relief work has been done both regionally and locally, as we have been able to supply everything from bedding to diapers to paper plates to snacks to rubber boots and more.   Because of our American Baptist affiliation, we were also able to provide hundreds of American Baptist Men and Church World Service ”floodbuckets filled to the brim with cleaning supplies”as well as hygiene packets to individuals through agencies and churches and our own church members seeking supplies for themselves or to share with families in need.  In addition, the Nebraska Region has received approximately $18,000 from One Great Hour of Sharing, and some of that money has come to us to use in our relief efforts.  All in all, it has been estimated that a minimum of $500,000 worth of food, goods and supplies flowed through our facility (including some yet to be distributed), and possibly as much as $1 million when all things are considered. Many of these goods were donated by multiple agency partners of No Town Left Behind.  Thanks to the help of work teams from Fairbury, Beatrice and ABMen Nebraska Disaster Relief, we have coordinated cleanup help at several homes.

In addition, we have had some financial donations come into our church, especially to assist with the water filtration in Pacific Junction, Iowa because individuals have taken our posts and shared them via social media…including my own sister…donations from California and Arizona and Indiana and Florida and more.  Any donation that is marked for the relief efforts has been and will be spent as designated to cover all the things involved in making ministries happen.  

Let me say that another way:  Not a single dollar that comes into our relief fund will go to any church programming or budget needs; ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of any money received is used exclulsively to support the relief effort.  

Finally, we also help support the great efforts that have been and are being made to help the town of Pacific Junction, Iowa, underwater and threatened with losing their town due to compromised water filtration.  An professional expert was flown in from Salt Lake City to assist, pumps have been set up and operating to remove standing water in the community, at first through flexible pipes laid across the tracks, but with the railroad threatening to start up soon, adjustments had to be made.  The community was evacuated with very little forewarning, and several dozen people are unaccounted for at this time.  Efforts continue, but what the future will be remains to be seen.  The No Town Left Behind crew is packed up heading to Louisiana, where they say flooding has already started.  Keep them in your prayers.

I know many of us are completely exhausted.  But we met the crisis in a powerful way, and I hope that you, like me, feel that the exhaustion I feel has been for a good cause.  There are things that could have gone more smoothly perhaps, but given the ever-changing nature of disaster relief, and our lack of experience in performing the challenging tasks we did, our church served in a pretty amazing way.   We are now in the winding down and closeout phase, and have helped make a difference for more families than we know through this crisis time.  But know, I have no plans for us to do all that again any time soon!!!!

My personal thanks to so many who have helped in so many ways.

                                                                   

Richard

Where all have we offered and/or supported contact and assist?  The list is approximately 31 towns at this time: (most of these towns received some supplies, a few were not in need at the time, and some we don’t even know about)

1. Wood River, NE 
2. Cario, NE
3. Dannebrog, NE
4. Bartlett, NE
5. Oneil, NE
6. Lynch, NE
7. Hooper, NE
8. Winslow, NE
9. North Bend, NE
10. Lashara, NE
11. Valley, NE
12. King Lake, NE
13. Glenwood, IA
14. Pacific Junction, IA
15. Hamburg, IA
16. Niobara, NE
17. Verdigres, NE
18. Fremont, NE
19. WoodCliff, NE
20. Omaha, NE
21. Waterloo, NE
22. Lincoln, NE
23. Wahoo, NE
24. Bellvue, NE
25. Genoa, NE
26. St. Paul, NE
27. O'Neil, NE
28. Columbus, NE
29. North Bend NE
30. Nickerson NE
31. Arlington NE

The Island

  Life on the Island 

Water. 

Snow melted. 

Rains fell. 

Ice broke. 

Rivers flowed. 

Water swirled. 

The world changed. 

Rumors fly. 

People who know, 

But don’t really, 

Telling tales, reporting info, detailing facts 

That are all not true, 

But passed along again, 

As if they were. 

And none of the tales are good, 

Gloom, doom, fears, 

Making it worse than it really is. 

When “really is” is already bad enough. 

And all the while 

All around 

Are men 

And women 

With uniforms 

And tired eyes 

From sleepless nights 

And long hours 

Risking 

Protecting 

Helping 

Guiding 

At the crossroads 

At the floodwaters 

At the sandbags 

At the station 

Ready 

Always ready 

Always busy. 

With their tired eyes 

And their lonely families. 

I look into eyes filled with fear. 

Surviving today, not sure of tomorrow. 

A home across town, unseen for days 

Standing with others in a newly formed lake. 

What waits ahead? What remains? 

No one knows. The worst is feared. 

Then comes word, a glimmer of hope. 

It didn’t reach one marker, is that one alone? 

No one knows. 

No one says. 

No one knows. 

And not knowing, 

Is the hardest thing. 

People huddled, crowded, dazed. 

Children laughing and playing, 

Because that’s what children do, 

Trusting the parent to make sure they’re safe 

While the parent nearby stands in fear. 

“What will happen to me, to my children, to my home? 

When will I learn what has happened so far? 

What are the paths that might be ahead? 

How will I get there? Where will we go?” 

Sometimes the words spoken in foreign tongue. 

Sometimes not spoken at all. 

Sometimes afraid others might overhear, 

Sometimes afraid the words will ring true 

In the ears of the one speaking, and that is all. 

But hoping the words 

Are overheard by someone, 

While hoping they aren’t overheard, 

By the wrong someone. 

Crowds at the airport, 

Crowds bagging sand, 

Crowds standing and waiting for guidance and plans. 

Crowds left like sheep without shepherd or guide, 

Wanting to help, to make a difference, to do SOMETHING, 

Anything. 

Every little thing helps, every effort engaged in with zeal. 

Until someone official declares it doesn’t “fit the guidelines.” 

Who’s in charge? 

Who thinks they are in charge? 

Who demands to be in charge? 

While people wait in line 

For food, 

For shelter, 

For help. 

Forever. 

“I’ve never seen anything like it. And I’ve lived here for years.” 

Repeated over and over 

By people 

As they express the shock, 

Stunned by all around them. 

Others wait. 

They watch. 

They quietly add a touch. 

And they pray. 

Because they know what many forget. 

Or choose to ignore. 

Prayer does matter. 

A church bell rings. 

People gather to worship. 

Something to hold onto, 

Something that is normal 

Something that brings hope 

Something that endures 

When so much is changing, 

And so much is at risk. 

Isolated. 

On an island. 

In a home. 

In a shelter. 

In a basement. 

For now…. 

Others gibber nonsense, 

Worried about foolishness, 

Oblivious to the suffering 

Next door. 

And those next door 

Sit quietly, 

Invisibly, 

Watching, 

Waiting, 

Wondering if anyone will notice, 

Wondering if anyone really cares, 

Wondering, worrying, 

Hoping, despairing, 

Fearing, 

Invisibly. 

Hoping that if anyone DOES notice, 

That it will be the right people, 

But afraid that it might not be, and so, 

It is better to remain invisible. 

Tears. Sobs. 

Softly shaking heads 

Softly shaking shoulders. 

A hug. 

A held hand. 

A listening ear. 

A friend. 

A new friend. 

A lot of new friends. 

And they wait. 

On the island. 

That yesterday was not an island. 

Until the water. 

Melted. 

Fell. 

Broke. 

Flowed. 

Swept. 

Rushed. 

Flooded. 

Around the newly formed 

But temporary 

Island. 

Someone finds a way. 

To make the short trip out, 

Which is no longer a short trip, 

But a major excursion. 

If you can find it, 

And if your car can handle it. 

Someone else finds a way in, 

Somewhere there is a road 

A bridge, 

An escape, 

And a supply route. 

Something survived. 

But no one can go there. 

It is forbidden, 

It is unauthorized, 

It is unsafe, 

It isn’t allowed. 

So they wait, 

And they watch, 

And they wonder. 

And they worry. 

And they ask, 

When the routes, 

Will bring back those, 

Stranded away from us, 

Worried about us, 

Praying for us, 

Missing us, 

And missed by us. 

Soon. 

We hope. 

All the while, for days on end, 

Night and day, 

At all hours, 

Whirring of choppers, 

Buzzing of planes, 

Chugging of boats, 

Back and forth, 

Taking someone somewhere, 

Or bringing them here, 

Yet the town is strangely silent. 

Because the sound that isn’t heard, 

Is a sound that has been heard 

For a century and a half. 

But not now. 

Not here. 

Not five times in the morning, 

Not randomly through the day, 

Not at all. 

Even though, 

That noise is the reason, 

The town even exists, 

The noise of the train, 

Blowing its horn, 

Clicking its connections, 

Roaring down the tracks, 

With cargo, and commerce, and life. 

But not now. 

Not here. 

Not at all. 

Except the dinging of the bells, 

And the flashing of the lights, 

From the crossarms on the street, 

Oddly sounding out 

That today, the tracks are heavy 

With water. 

That melted, 

That fell, 

That broke, 

That swirled, 

And flooded. 

Hope. 

Hope is offered, 

Supplies, freshly stocked shelves, and 

Receding water. 

A little bit. 

Enough to open one road. 

At least for now, 

At least to go check, 

At least to get a little closer, 

To what stands in the flood. 

And then time to sleep 

Or try. 

For a few hours, 

Troubled 

Uncomfortable 

With the odd sounds echoing 

From the air 

As the planes 

And the choppers 

Come and go, 

Just like the sleep 

That eludes. 

And so you write 

A poem. 

Pictures appear 

On the lighted screen 

From the air 

Of the water. 

So much water. 

From the roadways 

Showing lakes 

That were never lakes before. 

And the remnants 

Collapsed roadways, 

Crumbled asphalt 

Broken bridges. 

And suddenly 

You realize 

They are talking about us. 

Those pictures are here. 

Those remnants 

Of roadways, 

Of bridges, 

Of asphalt, 

That is why we 

Are an island. 

For now. 

Word comes. 

Help is going to come. 

People at a distance 

People unknown, 

People who have heard, 

People who have seen, 

Because the news moguls finally decided 

That what happened here matters. 

But the help has to wait. 

Because it is an island. 

For now. 

And the landscape keeps changing, 

Each day. 

And the plans keep changing, 

Each minute. 

Help is going to come. 

Eventually. 

But it is okay. 

Because help is already here. 

We have each other. 

And we are looking out for each other. 

Whether we know the name 

Whether we speak the language 

Whether we are in the same boat 

We are on the same island. 

We aren’t waiting. 

We don’t have to. 

We have each other. 

Despite those who 

Think that only they 

Are the ones who count. 

The rest of us know, 

We have each other. 

Whether or not, 

It meets the guidelines, 

Of those who think that they 

Are the ones who are in charge. 

It is we, 

We, the people, 

We have each other 

And are doing our best 

For each other. 

Even if 

We don’t know the names, 

Or don’t speak the language, 

And aren’t in the same boat, 

We remain together 

On the same island. 

It is a good island to be on. 

With good people. 

And good churches. 

And open hearts. 

And open pantries. 

And open homes. 

And open hands. 

And it is going to be okay. 

Not easy. 

But okay. 

Maybe not today. 

Maybe not tomorrow. 

Maybe not even in a year. 

But it is going to be okay. 

Because there are more good people on this island 

Than people who don’t care, 

And so tomorrow is bright, 

Even if it means 

We have to wait, 

We will wait, 

And work, 

And hope, 

And trust God through it, 

And it will be okay, 

This is Nebraska. 

Richard Crooks 3/19/19 

FLOOD STATUS - FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, FREMONT NEBRASKA

WHAT’S GOING ON?

Now that we are on the move, and I have a few minutes I can sit and jot a note, I wanted to provide an quick update and explanation for those of you who have been away or not had the chance to learn exactly what our church is doing.

First, know that our church building and parsonage were untouched by the flood waters. Individuals in our congregation have been impacted in various ways, and only part of the immediate area was flooded and impacted by the waters, but some of that area included many of our poorer residents.  Outlying homes and towns are also in a variety of situations.  There were locations designated as official shelters, and our church’s first response was to help undergird those shelters with individual support, as well as individuals volunteering around the community in a variety of roles.

Early Sunday morning, we accepted the role of being a distribution hub for the Texas-Louisiana Coalition "Center for People in Need"  in partnership with relief organization No Town Left Behind.  The goal of the ministries we have partnered with is to identify and provide support and assistance for individuals and communities that may be missed by the larger, more focused relief efforts.   It was these groups who connected our facility with the People in Need group from Lincoln who so generously provided our first round of supplies.

We have designated space in our facilities to house supplies as they arrive, which began yesterday. We have built shelving (and are building more) to store them on as they go out.  At the same time, we are building connections with individuals in nearby communities such as Waterloo, Valley, North Bend, Morse Bluff and Hooper, in addition to connections with people at the forefront of ministry here in Fremont, to make sure that the provisions that come to our shelves are routed to people who need it most and who are not receiving or may not qualify for other aid, or who may not be physically able to go somewhere to let their needs be known.   Because there is so much good work being done in Fremont already, our job here will be to help fill in the gaps that are missed, and to help support those communities and individuals beyond our city limits who are in need of help.  We are not setting up the facility as a “food bank” sort of location, but rather a warehouse available to other local agencies and individuals who are in need of supplies for people who have asked them for assistance.  

 Financially, on Sunday night church leadership met to establish plans and policies in regard to financial donations that may come our way.  They established a separate relief fund into which all those monies will be deposited, and guidelines for distribution.   Any paypal donations go directly and entirely to that fund.  The goal, again, is to meet needs of people with as little red tape for them as possible.  A team approach was established to consider and disburse funds (usually in the form of direct pay or vouchers rather than handing out cash).   Again, these funds may be disbursed because of personal contacts people in our church have with others in need, or because of referred needs that come to us from trusted local groups who understand that we are trying to help with the “forgotten” people.  We will also be expending funds to enable this work to be done (purchase of gas to transport supplies if needed, etc.)

In addition, our own American Baptist denominational family will be offering support in the form of funding, volunteers and especially cleanup supplies, which we will be routing directly to people in need via the same contacts we are building throughout the area.  Our denominational family is notoriously generous with their assistance in situations like these.  They have already committed 100 “flood buckets” to get us started, and more will follow as needed (that first 100, which we will receive in coming days, are already spoken for…the need is real).  Thanks to them, also, in advance.

 We just want to be as transparent as possible, so that those of you who have partnered with us in any way, know exactly what is going on with the support you provide.  If you have any questions about how we are handling things or the type of needs that we meeting, do not hesitate to call, email or message us.  But do me a favor….wait till next week to ask….this week is already too full!

God bless all of you for your prayers and assistance.  Pastor Richard