Midwest Devastated — MSM MIA

BigKen the Pilot
Burlington, Iowa
July 18, 2008

Greetings All,

Thanks for all of your kind comments. The real heroes, however, are the residents out here with their surprisingly optimistic and good-spirited disposition. My body was insistent I take a short break. I chose to take the day to look around at some other areas in need as well as grab an airplane from Burlington for an aerial perspective and photos.

I was in awe at how widespread the damage and current status of devastation and water still remain. It seems criminal that this would get such little national coverage. Hundreds, possibly thousands of farms and farmhouses have been destroyed. Some you can still only access by boat, still weeks away from "mudding out". The town of Gulfport, Illinois (across from Burlington, Iowa) is still submerged after one month. The water has only receded from the second story down to mid-first story levels. It was as high as the wires on the telephone poles in some areas. This, unfortunately, is only a small percentage of the damage, and the people who have been affected are still in distress throughout Iowa and Illinois.

The smells are foul and repugnant. In the town they are unidentifiable, and will never be forgotten. Come dinnertime at the Red Cross truck, the flies are just as hungry as we are. You learn to share if you intend to eat. The smells out in the farmland (the "bottom", as the locals call it) are of rotting livestock and dead fish.

I have also had the opportunity to talk with a handful of the displaced citizens from the towns and farms alike. They are as eager to tell their story, as we are to listen. They can cry and laugh about their experience at the same time. They are extremely grateful for the help, and send thanks across the country. Remarkable resilient people.

The work and conditions are intense, though just as gratifying. I seem to be the only one, currently, with a generator and a couple of sump pumps, so tomorrow it’s back to the basements.

KK

P.S. I’ll be sending three emails following this; sorry, had to share just a few of the pics!