Verdigre Striving to Rebuild

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One of the communities hardest hit by the March floods was Verdigre, Nebraska. This small community in northeast Nebraska was inundated by the Niobrara River when the Spencer Dam broke, sending an 11-foot wall of water downstream and up the Verdigre Creek.

Now, over three months later, residents of the community are still hard at work in an effort to get back to some level of normalcy. In the following news story, Verdigre Mayor Leroy Hollman discusses the outpouring of support and the opportunity to rebuild things better than they were before the flooding. Though the negative impact of a flood on a community cannot be overstated, this positive outlook about the future post-reconstruction status of the community is commendable.

The video also discusses how the Aurora Cooperative helped the recovery efforts. You don’t typically hear about farmers cooperatives assisting in post-disaster recovery activities. This may be because they are typically helping out their member farmers. More likely it is the fact that the humble members of these cooperatives help out with little to no fanfare to help to a neighbor in need. Regardless, depending on the size of these cooperatives, they should not be overlooked in times of need. Their members have the most of the equipment and the hard-working farmer grit that recovery efforts need.

A number of different organizations are taking a hand in the recovery efforts in Verdigre. One of these organizations is the Orphan Grain Train. This Christian volunteer network ships donated food, clothing, medical and other needed items to people in 69 different countries including this small town in Nebraska.  In Verdigre they have set up an account at Schreier’s Lumber Company to donate sheetrock, tape, screws, mud and insulation to those impacted by the floods. For more on the Orphan Grain Train, and to donate if you wish, check out their website.

The village of Verdigre is on the right track to recovery. Then again, I think the residents of this tough community already knew that the future of the community depended on them….