Last week, my husband (NECHAMA Treasurer Aaron Bloom) and I had the pleasure and privilege of working with NECHAMA in Estherville, Iowa helping residents recover from the after effects of the tremendous flooding that they had suffered two weeks earlier.
Estherville is located in the Great Lakes region of Iowa, so, as you might imagine, there are numerous lakes in the area. What was odd, initially, was how normal everything looked; i.e., charming lakefront areas geared towards recreation. Normal, that is, until you looked closely. When we did that, we noticed that the lake water was only about one foot below the docks and piers, rather than the more typical five feet. In addition, as we drove around, we noticed a number of detours because roads had been flooded. Finally, we realized that what we had thought were small ponds in various fields were actually the product of pooled flood waters.
Probably the most striking thing we saw was in what we later learned was a park next to the home of one of the people we helped. There was a basketball hoop that appeared to be sitting in the middle of a lake where the water was more than halfway up the pole. The owner of the home told us that what had been there pre-flood was a park with a fairly shallow river running through it.
We were lucky enough to help three homeowners by “mucking and gutting” their basements. Essentially, this meant we scraped linoleum off floors, tore carpeting off stairs, removed paneling, punched out walls, and sprayed for mold, of which there was a lot.
Throughout our time with them, we were all struck by their attitudes. Specifically, despite having lost so many belongings and suffered such extensive damage to their homes, all of them told us they were grateful that they had suffered so much less than those in neighboring communities. They were all also so thankful, and even surprised, that so many non-Christians had come so far to help them: Our group hailed from Maryland, Louisiana, Chicago, both North and South Dakota, and Bettendorf, Iowa.
All in all, not only was it immensely satisfying to help these folks, it was also a lot of fun. It is my hope that our experience inspires you to do more good and bring comfort (the Hebrew translation of nechama) to those who need it the most. If you would like, please consider making a donation here.
Sincerely,
Maria Howell
Aaron Bloom