A non-profit organization to assist the Zumbro Valley Community in recovery and restoration of a disaster!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Next meeting is Jan. 4, 2011 at 6pm!
Please join us at our next meeting on January 4, 2011 at 6pm. All meetings are held at the Christ Community Church in downtown Zumbro Falls. Hope to see you there!
Good-bye 2010 and Hello 2011
There are a lot of people in the Zumbro Valley area that are wishing for better year then twenty - ten, or at least a better fall! As we welcome the new year there are still many people without a permanent place to live that need your help. Many flood survivors lost everything they had, are now renting a place to live while still needing to pay the mortgage on their flooded house. ZVDR will continue to be here for them until all their needs are met but we can not do it without your help! Please send any monetary donations to our address on the right of our screen or you can e-mail us with any fundraising ideas at zvdr2010@gmail.com. Thank you for your support and may you have a wonderful new year!
Friday, December 17, 2010
This Saturday - the Saturday before Christmas - when most of us will be finishing up our shopping or spending time with family and friends to share Christmas cheer - victims of the fall flooding in Wabasha County will be gathering together to share stories of grief and loss and show support for each other in this time, not of great joy, but of great need.
At the American Legion in Millville, on Saturday afternoon from 1:30 – 5:00 PM flood survivors and their children will be treated to a turkey dinner served by Legion members. Toys for Tots will be there to give gifts to anxious children. Gift cards will be given to children to shop for presents for their parents, parents weary from the complex process of disaster recovery.
Also on Saturday, at 3:00 pm in Hammond, where over 80% of the structures are still uninhabitable, displaced community members will gather for a pot-luck dinner. They will reconnect with friends and not-that-long-ago next door neighbors to share information once gathered at the local restaurant or bank. This group of weary flood survivors will pack themselves into tiny St. Johns Lutheran Church, which now houses the city hall, food pantry, the local Laundromat, community center and the disaster recovery center. The main topic of conversation will most likely be the future of this small, picturesque community nestled in the beautiful Zumbro Valley and once home to nearly 150 people. Now - population 10.
Most of these families have not just lost their homes – but everything in those homes; from beds to refrigerators, from clothes to TVs. What once was a family home packed with the necessities of American life, is now an empty gutted shell.
At this time of year, the “most wonderful time of the year”, most of these families would tell you what they miss most is familiar surroundings, a quiet, safe place to tuck their children into bed and those treasured objects set out every Christmas that invoke memories of Christmases celebrated long ago.
Nearly 350 families in the Pine Island-Oronoco area and in Wabasha County are working with disaster case managers from Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota. These case workers report that over 80 families are still in temporary housing. Most are waiting for news of loan approvals or possible buy-outs. Many are waiting to see if the town they once called home will still exist, if neighbors will return, if businesses will be rebuilt.
It is estimated that 1/3 of these families have lost in excess of $100,000, another third over $50,000 in losses. With no grant monies available, families are relying on savings accounts, 401K’s, credit cards, loans and possible buy-out programs that can only partially replace what has been lost.
Many of these families and individuals will need volunteers to help them rebuild. Most will have to be creative with their limited resources and depend on the kindness of strangers for the rest. Some will recover. Some will not.
Two newly formed long-term disaster recovery committees, made up of local community members, agencies and non-profits are desperately working to raise money and other resources for their struggling neighbors. They have lofty goals. Together they are attempting to raise nearly 3 million dollars.
These committees know that no matter how much they raise, it will not be enough – but they meet every week and commit themselves to trying everything humanly possible to raise what they can and hope for the rest. They do not plan to stop until everyone who wants to come home will have the resources to do just that.
They are not just raising money – they are raising hope.
Hope, the greatest present one can give this time of year.
If you would like to donate to the Long-Term Disaster Recovery groups mentioned above you may send your donations to:
Zumbro Valley Disaster Recovery
P.O. Box 106
Zumbro Falls, MN 55991
Serving all of Wabasha County
At the American Legion in Millville, on Saturday afternoon from 1:30 – 5:00 PM flood survivors and their children will be treated to a turkey dinner served by Legion members. Toys for Tots will be there to give gifts to anxious children. Gift cards will be given to children to shop for presents for their parents, parents weary from the complex process of disaster recovery.
Also on Saturday, at 3:00 pm in Hammond, where over 80% of the structures are still uninhabitable, displaced community members will gather for a pot-luck dinner. They will reconnect with friends and not-that-long-ago next door neighbors to share information once gathered at the local restaurant or bank. This group of weary flood survivors will pack themselves into tiny St. Johns Lutheran Church, which now houses the city hall, food pantry, the local Laundromat, community center and the disaster recovery center. The main topic of conversation will most likely be the future of this small, picturesque community nestled in the beautiful Zumbro Valley and once home to nearly 150 people. Now - population 10.
Most of these families have not just lost their homes – but everything in those homes; from beds to refrigerators, from clothes to TVs. What once was a family home packed with the necessities of American life, is now an empty gutted shell.
At this time of year, the “most wonderful time of the year”, most of these families would tell you what they miss most is familiar surroundings, a quiet, safe place to tuck their children into bed and those treasured objects set out every Christmas that invoke memories of Christmases celebrated long ago.
Nearly 350 families in the Pine Island-Oronoco area and in Wabasha County are working with disaster case managers from Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota. These case workers report that over 80 families are still in temporary housing. Most are waiting for news of loan approvals or possible buy-outs. Many are waiting to see if the town they once called home will still exist, if neighbors will return, if businesses will be rebuilt.
It is estimated that 1/3 of these families have lost in excess of $100,000, another third over $50,000 in losses. With no grant monies available, families are relying on savings accounts, 401K’s, credit cards, loans and possible buy-out programs that can only partially replace what has been lost.
Many of these families and individuals will need volunteers to help them rebuild. Most will have to be creative with their limited resources and depend on the kindness of strangers for the rest. Some will recover. Some will not.
Two newly formed long-term disaster recovery committees, made up of local community members, agencies and non-profits are desperately working to raise money and other resources for their struggling neighbors. They have lofty goals. Together they are attempting to raise nearly 3 million dollars.
These committees know that no matter how much they raise, it will not be enough – but they meet every week and commit themselves to trying everything humanly possible to raise what they can and hope for the rest. They do not plan to stop until everyone who wants to come home will have the resources to do just that.
They are not just raising money – they are raising hope.
Hope, the greatest present one can give this time of year.
If you would like to donate to the Long-Term Disaster Recovery groups mentioned above you may send your donations to:
Zumbro Valley Disaster Recovery
P.O. Box 106
Zumbro Falls, MN 55991
Serving all of Wabasha County
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