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How You Can Help the Midwest Flood Victims

How you can help the nebraska flood victims

Here in the midwest, we are struggling in many ways. I spoke about it briefly last week on the podcast and we are now getting national news coverage as Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, parts of Iowa, and the Dakotas. There are areas experience devastating flooding that has never flooded before and were never supposed to. This goes well beyond the Missouri River flood zone. There are entire farms, ranches, and homes, that shouldn’t have ever experienced devastation from flooding that are completely decimated.

The flooding has reached the town where we go to almost every day, for work, church, school, just 20 minutes from us. The community just north of us had to evacuate last night. March 21st they did an emergency evacuation. The residents of the major town across the bridge closest to the river have recently been evacuated. The devastation is overwhelming and although our farm will not be affected by the flood waters I am close to many people, friends and family, who have been affected.

How the Flooding Is Affecting Us

Our drinking water has now been contaminated with the flood waters which means we are under a boil advisory. We have to boil any water before we drink, clean, or cook with it. Boiling a gallon of water isn’t that big of a deal and my husband picked up bottled water so it’s not terrible, but staying on top of our little ones to ensure they’re not getting their drinking water from the tap is a little trickier.

There is a main access road between Missouri and Kansas that is shut down. So if people work or go to school on the opposite side they haven’t been able to do so, and the major crest was supposed to happen on March 22nd. The towns and residents along the river are no strangers to flooding, it’s bound to happen when you live near a river. However our “flooding season” is around May and June, June 2011 being the last time we experienced significant flooding.

How You Can Help

As you know there are people who have lost everything. Livestock, crops, equipment, homes, buildings, their entire livelihoods literally washed away. Here is a list of some flood victims needs, items flood victims would need, for more items needed you can contact the local extension office, local farm service agency, Google the area you’re wanting to help and see if there are people you can contact. There’s also a Nebraska Disaster Relief Fund that was launched by the Nebraska Farm Bureau and you can call at (800) 831-0550.

Items Flood Victims Need:

  • Dust masks
  • Milk replacer
  • Gatorade
  • Bottled water
  • Snacks
  • Tall rubber boots
  • Socks
  • Blankets
  • Chlorohexidine-a disinfectant
  • Halthers
  • Lead ropes
  • Dog and cat food
  • Ag lime
  • Baby wipes
  • Bagged livestock bedding
  • Bags of IV fluid
  • Batteries
  • Bluecoat electrolytes
  • Breathing protection
  • Fencing supplies
  • Flashlights
  • Gas and diesel cans
  • Gloves
  • LA200-antibiotic for livestock
  • Linament livestock bag feed
  • Buckets/pails
  • Minerals
  • Probiotics
  • Mineral oil
  • Penicillin
  • Pocket knives
  • Rechargeable battery packs
  • Rubbermaid totes with lids
  • Rubbing alcohol
  • Scarlet oil
  • Scours medications
  • Shop towels
  • Shovels
  • Rakes
  • Pitchforks
  • Syringes w/needles
  • Tweezers
  • Water bottles
  • Wheelbarrows
  • Wound ointments
  • Ziploc bags
  • Human first aid kit:
  • Bandages
  • Chapstick
  • Hot and cold packs
  • Cotton swabs
  • Cotton balls
  • Half drops
  • Emergency eyewash
  • Flashlights
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Latex gloves
  • Saline solution
  • Scissors
  • Triple antibiotic ointments
  • Vet wrap
  • Livestock first aid kit:
  • Gauze
  • Sponges
  • Bandages
  • Blood stop powder
  • Eyewash
  • Solution flashlights
  • Iodine
  • Rectal thermometers
  • Stethoscopes
  • Wire cutters
  • Personal hygiene kit:
  • Brushes
  • Combs
  • Deodorant
  • Female hygiene products
  • Hand lotions
  • Pocket tissues
  • Shampoo and conditioner
  • Soap
  • Socks
  • Toothbrushes and toothpaste
  • Washclothes
  • Wet wipes

This recovery and rebuild isn’t going to happen overnight. It’s going to take time and I am a huge believer in prayer and I think that praying for those affected by this disaster is one of the best ways you can help. There are so many things we can’t control and I can’t explain why this happened, I don’t have the answers. All I know is that I believe God is good and that God answers prayers.

Those who have lost from this disaster need our prayers, need shoulders to cry on and lean on, need us to see them. Helping in natural disasters is part of us being human beings. To lend them a hand, to pray for Midwest flood victims, to reach out to them in some way.

We would love if you shared this episode, left us a comment, reached out in any way. We would love to know how we can help you if you have been affected by the floods and how you choose to help midwest flood victims in rural America.

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