On June 22, northwest Iowa faced historic flooding caused by two days of heavy storms. According to an article by Iowa Public Radio, some areas received up to 15 inches of rain over a two day period. Such unprecedented amounts of rain put businesses and homes along several rivers and creeks in northwest Iowa, southwest Minnesota, and western Nebraska and South Dakota underwater. Storm Lake, home of BVU’s campus, was south of the storm line and remained clear of the flooding surrounding communities faced. In the midst of the disaster BVU provided various forms of aid for those affected.
People found themselves waist-deep in water as it continued to rise, water rushing in as the rain continued to pound down, seeping in from every direction. Cars, basements, and houses all fell victim to the rapid influx of water. According to an MSN article, enough water raged down the Rock River in Rock Valley that amounted to almost two Olympic-sized swimming pools of water flowing through every second.
As the devastation from the flooding was beginning to emerge, BVU President, Dr. Brian Lenzmeier, contacted Governor Kim Reynolds and offered BVU’s support.
Immediately, President Lenzmeier, Dr. Jamii Claiborne, BVU Vice President for Student Success, Suzette Radke, BVU Vice President of Business and Finance, and Aimee Barritt, Buena Vista County Emergency Management Director, led a team to work out a plan to utilize BVU to offer aid to evacuees.
They were joined by other BVU staff, faculty, and community members in preparing facilities for victims of the flooding. Because nearby communities like Spencer and Cherokee were without electric, sewer and water services, basic needs like shower and laundry facilities were important to flood refugees. The response team at BVU made sure those services were available quickly.
“The first day, showering, we had over ten people just come the first half day,” said Radke. “Twenty people was our peak [for housing in the suites]. Some were families and some were [individuals].”
According to an article by U.S. News, twenty-three counties in Iowa received a presidential disaster declaration. Additionally, homes and businesses ravaged by the flooding and closing roads led to at least over $130 million dollars in infrastructure damage.
In the aftermath of the flood, Donna Musel, Director of the Center for Academic Excellence, shared how the flooding affected her family in Spencer.
“My mom and her husband live in Spencer. My sister in Texas calls my mom every Saturday morning, and while she was talking to her, my mom was realizing that the flood was coming from both directions of their street. When she first saw it, she thought, ‘Oh, there’s just a little water on the street. It’s no big deal.’ And then all of a sudden, they were unable to get out of their driveway,” said Musel.
Dan Newcomb, BVU Mailroom Print Specialist, also resides in Spencer and was also a victim of the flooding.
“I grabbed my dog. I threw some stuff in a bag, and the water was already waist-high. We waded, swam through that to the car,” said Newcomb. “I ended up getting back to the apartment this last Tuesday and everything is lost, all my furniture. I lost some clothes. I lost some pictures. But my biggest thing is I lost a lot of my Marine Corps mementosand, awards and stuff.”
After the devastating destruction, flood victims not only began to tally the possessions lost but also began to assess their emotions.
“There’s people out there that got it worse than you. And, you know, you’re still angry, you’re still sad, but you know, that’s normal…But on the other hand, I’ve been blessed compared to some people. So, that’s where my thoughts lay—with people that don’t have the resources that I have,” said Newcomb.
A natural disaster like this impacts not only BVU but the entire community as well.
“I was driving down the street and I saw a young man maybe ten years old, just standing out in his yard, looking at all of the pile of stuff that had been brought out of their house. And he was just standing there staring at it, just kind of just barely shaking his head. And I thought, ‘Oh kiddo, this is a big deal for you.’ Because they were on the river side. So, you know, their house got it even worse than what my mom’s house did. And, you know, you worry about everybody,” said Musel.
With nearby communities ravaged by water, BVU student volunteers also sprang into action to help.
Michael De La Cruz, senior on the men’s wrestling team, said, “I got called in by my Head Coach, Sean White, for wrestling…And so, we went over to some family friend’s house that got affected by the flooding. So, what we did was we went there, and for about a good two hours we were moving a lot of stuff out from their basement.”
Another student who volunteered to help with the flooding was senior psychology major, Madisen Betcher. Betcher along with other BVU students helped with relief at Donna Musel’s mother’s house in Spencer.
“My job was being the wheelbarrow person with three other people. And just bringing [belongings from the house] back and forth to the piles. I think there were like three really big piles of stuff that all came out of the basement,” said Betcher.
Maureen Murphy, BVU class of 2024, also worked to help with flood relief at Musel’s mother’s house.
“I pulled out 17 tacks from my muck boots…You cannot see where you are going, it was water up to [mid-calf] and you’re sloshing around. You’re trying to fill up these garbage bags and there’s so much stuff that’s waterlogged and it’s really heavy…There was just a lot of sadness,” said Murphy.
Despite the devastation, different communities have pulled together to help those who have lost pieces of their lives to the flooding.
“All the communities around here, Cherokee, Spencer, Sioux Rapids, the communities all came together, and they helped each other out. Just when they needed it. So, Iowa strong, you know?” said Newcomb.
