Et cetera : NCCC's Oak 7 Does Disaster Recovery

By Rebecca Bigler The neighborhoods in Minot, N.D. are full of the sound of hammers and the spray of power washers, while the city is full of events and businesses getting back on the right track. North Dakota's fourth largest city is coming back strong after the flood that hit it in the summer of 2011. Rebuilding efforts are showing some great improvement, and there is no shortage of hope in the community. Between August 18 and September 10, NCCC team, Oak 7, is working in the city’s recovery warehouse. The work is very rewarding. Most of their days are spent loading and unloading deliveries of materials to homeowners for their home’s rebuild. The donated items in the warehouse are often what makes the difference between a house that can be finished and a house that has to be abandoned. Luckily, there are many caring donors who give very essential materials to the warehouse. For a couple of days, Oak 7 was lucky enough to even work on one of these flooded houses. They got to start rebuilding the walls and floor. The phrase “I just love Minot” is often heard among the members of Oak 7. The team is staying in Hope Village, a volunteer residential community sponsored by Lutheran Disaster Response. Meals are provided for them, they have chores each night, and the facilities onsite make off work times relaxing. The general feeling of the village is one of a community that helps each other out, much like feeling of Minot itself. Neighbors have helped neighbors rebuild their houses, and many have volunteered their time to help in any way possible. It’s hard to believe the flood was only a year ago, because the city is very much alive and thriving. Maybe that's part of the reason why Minot is known as the Magic City. The city may be damaged, and help is still needed, but the community is eager to restore it. Oak 7 is proud to be a part of that process.