I just reread the last blog from the beginning of May. There's been a lot more water since then and, ironically, I've had no desire to get out the kayak.
Like many other folks, I spent most of the last four weeks struggling with the ravaging effects of rising waters. First with sandbagging efforts, then with emergency response and now the slow road to recovery. I'm one of the lucky ones - with a home that's high and dry. Hundreds of others in this part of the world have not been so lucky.
The destruction done by the flood waters here in Louisa County is almost incomprehensible. A whole town inundated, hundreds of buildings destroyed, people who lost both their homes and their livelihood. Some homes still have standing water - after close to a month.
We'll recover and things will eventually return to normal, even for those hit hardest. Helping with that effort are hundreds of volunteers from all across the country who have come to this place I'm sure they'd never heard of before. These people heard we needed help, dropped what they were doing and drove to Iowa to haul muddy carpet, cut moldy drywall and pull debris out of yards. It's humbling to see.
If you want to help, donations can be sent to Community Foundation of Louisa County, PO Box 171, Wapello, Iowa 52653. Volunteers should call in advance of arrival to get information: 319-457-0575.
Join me in the Red Kayak as we venture out on marshes, lakes and rivers in Louisa County, Iowa.
