Minot Flood Update

We are now into our third week of supporting our Minot, ND family in the clean-up and rebuilding of their home that has been devastated in the June flood. There is lots of hard work but there are also some lighter moments! Here Marissa has just completed shoveling thick gooey mud that was blocking the flow of water down the street. Marla assists by a quick "hosing" clean up after her daughter's efforts.

We have been very, very blessed to have good friends who have opted to join us in Minot and provide much appreciated "energy". Here Ken, Rich and Debi take a break.

This past week one of the major projects was laying ceramic tile in the kitchen, two baths, and entry. Rich is definitely a pro with the tile saw; he makes very precise cuts for a perfect fit!

As one can imagine, supplies are both sparse and costly here. Debi arrived on Wed. with the tile saw (purchased in Pittsburg) in her luggage! Here she assists in clean up following the tile laying.

On Saturday we took a day off and visited the surrounding areas. This included neighboring Burlington which also received extensive flood damage. Mounds of contaminated materials are very common along the streets. The two housing units (for 40 people) that are being sent by the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance to provide quarters for volunteer rebuilding teams will be located in this town just west of Minot.

When we visited Ken's family in Minot in 2006 we stayed in this Roughrider RV Park just beside the Souris River. Obviously today it is not functioning as normal! This was their office.

The current task is putting insulation in areas not affected by future electrical work. To give you some perspective on the work site, this photo is from about one month ago in the lower level of the home.

Obviously much has been cleaned up in that today Ken and Rich are inserting new insulation in this same lower level pictured above. The number one priority is winterization so that the home will be prepared when sub zero weather arrives.