LA Times

ND Flood Victims Still Await Aid 
--link to the article

Ahhhh, were do I start? This article is just a small snippet of what many are going through here this Holiday season. I talked with the author in our home for about an hour, she was very sweet and had ties to ND herself. What isn't mentioned is the bulk of our conversation about the many people that have come together to help everyone here out. The fact that there was 13 of us at one point sleeping in my Aunt and Uncles home while family and friends worked endless hours at our house to get us to the point we are at today. The fact that my brother came from Martha's Vineyard and my Dad from Florida to help us out, along with my Mom and Step-Dad who not only lost his house but his pro-shop at the golf course as well. We aren't waiting to pay $70K to fix the house my Mom was moving from to give us a home to live in (no other housing options available even before the flood with the oil boom!), we are grateful for the money that has been saved by family and friends giving their time and energy to do what they can to ensure the house is safe for children. It seems like so long ago that we had a houseful of workers in masks, boots and gloves drudging bucket after bucket of sludge filled carpet, drywall and insulation full of mold and feces in extreme summer heat. It was awful work but we did it and had the best "bonding" breaks with each other and neighbors, that were actually fun!! The community came together and made the best out of individual situations even though it was not "fun" laying in bed at night in our temporary spaces wondering how we would make it through another day- but we did. Obviously the $30K from FEMA does not cover the rebuild of a flooded house. With Payton's respiratory lung disease and them being preemies in general, along with Brody's seasonal asthma, we couldn't take any chances with mold and everything needed to be gutted, including the siding of the house.  We have perfect now HVAC from my Uncle in Minnesota, electrical from my Uncle and Step-Dad's time and effort, and windows and doors from my Brother and Dad that were put in after the weeks of clean-up that everyone participated in. Family came together for us, and we are thankful.

I wish I wouldn't have read the comments that have been left after this article, I could have done without it for sure. How can people turn this into a "red" vs "blue" State?? Right wingers or Left wingers- who cares!??!! It was devastating to everyone and these comments just irritate me- especially because I am such a non-political person, it's just not my thing- never has been. I saw one comment this morning that blew my mind, someone commented on how "Brooke Waind and her husband, City-Manager Son's family was in a FEMA trailer..." they questioned what Grandpa City Manager was doing allowing us to freeze while he is in his safe abode....yeah right!!!! What a comment, who is this person and who do they think they are?? "Grandpa City-Manager" opened his house/garage/shed/etc to his 2 sons and their families that were flooded, no questions asked. Since we had another space to stay we didn't have to overflow their house. When we do stay there they give up their own bedroom so the babies have space and we can have the other room next to it. "Grandpa City-Manager" worked around the clock for weeks on end in a very self-less manner in a job that is behind the scenes and rarely recognized, but that doesn't matter to him- he does his job and he does it well and doesn't need any recognition because that's the kind of person he is. When he wasn't working he was helping his Son's salvage what they could in there homes. All any of our parents want is for their children to be safe and comfortable in homes with their grandchildren. We are grateful for all of them- Mom, Steve, Dad, Liz, Dave, and Chari- we love you sooooo much and couldn't have gotten through what we have without your love, support and guidance.

I know these comments from strangers don't mean anything and they obviously have nothing better to do with their time than comment on something they could not even begin to understand without experiencing it themselves, so I am done looking at them now that I have "spoke" my mind :)