FLOOD UPDATE!!!!

Well, the rain wasn't as bad as we had expected it to be
yesterday, so the water in the river has gone done a lot.
We drove downtown today, and all of the water that was
covering Webb Ave, the road where the movie theater and
the grocery store are, was completell dried up. I know, it
was just amazing and the store was open for business. The
movie theater had massive water damage and probably will
not re-open for quite some time.

The clean up is underway and residents are trying to figure
out just how much damage has been done. All of us at the
church have just been trying to help where we can. We spent
Wednesday night filling sandbags and some are helping at the
Red Cross station at Pineview School. They do not have many
people staying at the shelter there, because so many people
are staying with friends or family, but people are coming to
get supplies that they are giving out. Many of you have asked
how you can help, and here is what we know right now. The
Reedsburg Bank has set up a fund for assistance where anyone
in need can get help. They are allowing the Red Cross volunteers
to notify them when they need the money. A large amount of
food and clothing have already been donated and the Red Cross
is preparing 3 meals a day for anyone who needs to come and eat.
They have been giving out many bags with toiletries as well as
diapers and formula. They are telling us that right now, it is best
to donate to the fund at the bank because they are needing items
such as sump pumps, dehumidifiers, gloves, masks, rubber boots,
bleach and many others cleaning supplies that are hard to come by
right now because the people have depleted the shelves to begin their
clean up. There doesn't seem to be enough for everyone at the
moment. As soon as supplies are available, the money in the fund
will help to buy these items for those who need it. The hopsital
is also setting up a free tetnus shot clinic on Monday because
anyone involved in this clean up will need a new shot to protect
themselves.

The MAJOR problem at this very moment, is our septic system.
We knew over the last few days that they were having trouble
with the tanks and they were already pumping the sewage into trucks
and hauling it to other cities, but the levels were so high and the pressure
was to great and one of the tanks broke. Now they are really asking us to
conserve as much water as possible. They want us to not shower unless
necessary (we did military showers tonight. Sorry, I hate being dirty),
and they want us to only flush the toilet once or twice a day if possible.
I know, I know, it's really gross. I told my kids we were going to pretend
we were camping at our house as I was giving them their spongebath
from a pot of warm water. They didn't like it very much, but they
understood why we had to do it. Then I just threw the dirty water
out on the back lawn. See, just like camping! We also had a small
bonfire in the backyard tonight and I even threatened to put up a
tent just for the ambience:)

All kidding aside, we are very fortunate, but so many homes have been
ruined and these people are going to need help in cleaning up real soon.
FEMA was here the last couple of days assessing the damage, so we'll
see what kind of help they will get. I talked with one of the teachers I
work with today and she told me that South Elementary School, that I
posted a picture of, had 6 feet of raw sewage in their basement. This is
also where there cafeteria and kitchen are as well. Then she told me that
there was another level below the basement where the boiler tanks are,
and that it also had 6 - 7 feet of raw sewage in it. The boilers are ruined
and our principal told her that they would cost about $50,000 a piece
to replace. This is the oldest school building in Reedsburg so I don't know
if they will get to save it or not. There are still many people constantly
pumping their basements and just waiting for things to get completely
dried up.

Below are some arial photos that my mom sent me. Some of you may have
already seen them, but I posted them anyway. In the first picture, in the
upper right corner, you will see a really tall red church. We live 1 block
from that church. That is how close this was to our home, but thankfully
we had no damage to our house.

I will update again very soon. I apologize again for the lengthy post, but
there is a lot going on here right now.