We are, as of this writing, so happy that no homes and no persons were harmed by the floodwaters in Iola. That is something to be thankful for. Like most of life, the last 10 days have been full of ups and downs, and not just with the river crest predictions.
With every new prediction, different plans were made. Things were placed up high, then boxed up and taken either out of homes or taken to second stories. Furniture was moved out. Then moved back in, then moved higher, then taken down. Homes were cleaned only to have the prediction of the river flooding homes again. Then the river started receding and people moved back in. Emotions were high. But help was ready.
Now the cleanup begins. And the reality of the flood water is not in the past for our farmers. The Humanity House Community Garden crops are a total loss. It is devastating to us that the 7,000-plus pounds of food that we are able to grow and distribute to children, the elderly, disabled, and those who are ill will not happen. I spent the week helping move my mom in and out of her house, worrying about her. I looked the way of the garden because it is right out her back door. But for the most part, I put it at the back of my mind.
The reality was shocking. Produce that looks perfect, beautiful heads of cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, lovely kale, tall beet greens, red radishes poking out of the mud, are all basically garbage. Floodwater is contaminated with sewage, animal feces, dead animals, and road chemicals. Our crops were entirely covered.
Now we remove those crops, let the soil dry out and then it has to sit for 120 days before it can be planted. The garden wont be idle. There are lots of projects to undertake to make the next growing season a great one.
For us, it is devastating because of the number of people who rely on Humanity House as a way to have produce in their homes.
But for farmers, the devastation is so much more. Their farms are their lives. Their crops are their livelihood. Between the effects that the sanctions and tariffs have had on the farmers and now the floodwaters, I cannot imagine what all they are feeling. A great sadness washes over me, just like the floodwaters, when I think of the ravaged fields.
We are Kansans, though. The very things that keep us here determination, fortitude, perseverance and the love of our land are the very reasons we will look toward the future and how we can make things better the next go around.
Kindness matters!
