It has been a week since we flew to Montana from our shelter in Fairbanks. We went from sleeping on air mattresses in a school room (which I was so thankful for) to sleeping on comfy beds (which I am even more thankful for :) We have been enjoying time with Grandparents. We flew in and spent a couple days with Grandpa Bruce and Grandma Benni, then my parents picked us up and brought us to the ranch, but not before we went horse shopping! We found a horse that both my Dad and I can ride and chase cows with. She has been a lot of fun to ride. In fact I will be helping a family fried trail cows up into the mountains tomorrow! A friend also let us borrow back a horse that my family use to own while I was growing up on the ranch. They gave him away after my Mom broke her back and couldn't ride horses anymore. Shasta was actually my sister's horse, but I also spent quite a bit of time riding him. He is now 25 years old and riding him brings back lots of memories, even though he is a lot calmer and a little slower than he use to be. My girls have been enjoying riding him as he is a great kids' horse now. They are full of smiles every time they get on him. In fact Aubrey and I went on our first ride out of the pasture today. In past years we haven't had a horse that I could trust to do this with so I am so thankful to my friend for letting us borrow him for the summer! Aubrey had a blast!
Aubrey and 25 year old Shasta. We need a kids' saddle as you can tell by the long stirups!
Mackenzie
Marina following Mom. She is actually kind of a natural and takes charge of Shasta like she takes charge of most situations! :)
Aubrey and me coming home from Aubrey's first ride out of the pasture on the ranch without anyone leading her. The horse I am riding is the horse Mom and Dad bought. She is a lot of fun!
The girls have been doing a lot of the things they talked about wanting to do this summer on the ranch...
Things like...
Swimming in the pond
That water is cold though!
Doing chores and taming down the little barn kittens
Giving kittens lots and lots of love
Getting 25 chicks to raise. I told them they can't get too attached as we are raising them for meat.
It will be a sad day for the girls when butchering day comes, but for now they are enjoying doing their chores and taking care of these little chicks.
All dressed up for a rodeo at Homesteader's Days (minus the cowgirl boots which got left behind in Galena).
Smelling the roses and visiting Mom's favorite rose bush.
Helping Grandma make a bouquet full of beautiful yellow roses
Petting Shasta in the field
Going for walks and striking silly poses for the camera
Silly girls!
We have been enjoying our time here on the ranch and are so thankful for the time of rest and relaxation, but all the while a part of me feels guilty. While we are enjoying ourselves my husband and many other hard working people are dealing with the after effects of what Elders describe as the worst flood anyone can remember. Worse than the reported 1945 and 1971 floods. Galena is a town with a population of about 450 people. Approximately 294 people were evacuated to Fairbanks, Ruby, and Anchorage. Approximately 130 people remained in Galena during the flooding. It is estimated that 90% of the homes have water damage coming to a total of about 180 homes.
Several people who are self sufficient and able to help with the cleanup have started going back, including Ross. Pastor Chris went back shortly before Ross and called him to tell him what supplies the community needed. Ross and some other volunteers rounded up the supplies and got them on Grandpa Tim's plane and flew them out to Galena last Thursday. We are so thankful to Iliamna Air and Grandpa Tim for all his help and donations to help Galena get back up and running. Ross' brother Reid also flew in with Ross on Grandpa Tim's plane and since landing they have been working hard to get snow machines, four wheelers, cars, trucks, and even a Harley back up and running (not all of these are ours). Praise God, so far they have been able to flush all the sand, silt and water out of our machines and vehicles and get them running. These forms of transportation are suffering from other effects from getting wet but at least they are running and can get from point A to point B! Ross was helping our neighbor with his truck and unfortunately it will be going to the truck grave yard as it started on fire shortly after our neighbor started it up. So some people have been fortunate and some haven't. Most of the people on our street fared fairly well compared to other places in town. There was water damage to most of the houses but at least none of the houses have floated away on our street! Old town was hit the worst, but everyone was affected. People are banning together to help each other and Ross was blessed by friends who came over to help cut off the wall in our rental house and tear out the insulation. He has also pulled out the flooring and the insulation in the flooring. So now it has to dry. Ross has been going through our things that got wet and he says there is a layer of mud/silt all over everything.
Ross went over to the old house we had just moved out of and he said it was trashed. The water got to about his neck level in the house. I had left my Bosch mixer over there, but praise the Lord it was in a high cabinet and didn't get wet! We have lost some things to the flood waters, but we are really very fortunate and can't complain. When Ross describes the devastation and loss that others are experiencing, we really can't complain. Some people are finding out that their houses will never be inhabitable and are homeless at this point in time. I wish I could be there with Ross helping out right now but it has been repeatedly stated that it is not safe for women with children to return. This is a statement by the mayor of Galena, "Galena is a hazardous place at this time due to diesel, sewage and ice damage. ... If you are from a surrounding village, there is no infrastructure to support your visit," So even though I feel guilty for not being there to help out, I realize that I need to be with my children right now, providing stability for them. Right now, I have decided I can help by raising awareness about Galena and letting others know how they can help.
The first step is prayer....
Please pray for strength for those who are in Galena working. It can get depressing and wearing at times, so please pray for uplifted and joyful spirits amidst the hard time.
Pray for wisdom in decisions being made at the state and local level.
Pray for families that are separated during this time while the husbands and Dads go back to help.
Pray for those staying at the shelter in the Willow House as quarters are cramped and it will be a long summer.
Pray that things will be able to get up and running by this next school year and for housing for people to live in in Galena.
If you are interested in other ways of helping, here are some requests that have been made. I know summer is such a busy time for many so it will be hard for most to even consider going to Galena, but if you feel led towards helping Galena in this way or know of anyone who might be interested, please pass on the information.
We're looking for volunteer mechanics to go to Galena and help get vehicles running...galenarebuilders@gmail.com
Galena Rebuilders is ready to assemble work crews to help on the ground with clean-up and demolition. If you (or someone you know) is interested in taking a trip to Galena, please email Kim at galenarebuilders@gmail.com with dates you are available
Galena Bible Church is working hard to equip people on the ground in Galena in the rebuilding efforts. Please consider walking alongside us on the long road ahead. If you are interested in donating please go to http://www.akmissionconnection.org/galena-relief Thank you!
I thought I would show some post flood pictures that have been posted by friends....
Yukon River before flooding
Yukon River after flooding. The flood water is a dark blue almost black color on this image.
A sharp bend in the river about 18 miles (29 kilometers) from Galena triggered the jam by preventing a large sheet of winter ice from flowing downstream. The blockage began on May 25, and ice and floodwater stretched more than 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the choke point by May 28. Galena residents saw waters surge more than 15 feet (5 meters) in the span of one night.
Viewed from above, the flood transformed the landscape. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured the top image on May 28, 2013. The lower image shows the condition of the river one year earlier. Both images use a combination of visible and infrared light that make it easier to distinguish between water and land. River water appears navy blue; ice appears teal; and vegetation is bright green. Clouds are pale blue-green and cast shadows. Information taken from this site... http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=81227
This use to be a road. Now full of mud and silt
Someones wood pile now floating. Looks like they were lucky enough to have it somewhat trapped and not floating away down river!
You can see fuel drums and garbage floating everywhere.
A power line snapped off by an ice chunk
Ice chunks going right up to our friend's former house
See the ice chunks under the porch of this house? This house is only a short distance away from the house we had just moved out of.
A road and bridge that were taken out. This was suppose to be the escape route for many people in town.
Roads with ice chunks on them
Ice and floating debris surround this house
Ice chunks sitting by the US Fish and Wildlife building.
Our church
Our Pastor's home at some point during the flood.
Our Pastor is about 6ft tall, so you can see how high the water went around his house and garage.
The pool, which is now a cesspool
Silt in our neighbor's freezer along with ruined meat.
17,000 pounds of rotten meat was flown to the Galena Landfill by helicopter because the landfill is inaccessible by road due to the flood.
A helicopter sling hauling a bag of rotten meat to the dump
Our yard with lots of junk piled up in it
Our neighbor's back yard still filled with water. Our neighbor loves gardening, but his green house is full of water at this point.
Ice chunks on the road
Ross said there is a layer of silt/mud all over everything. Here our neighbor is scraping it out of her garage.
Ross will have to leave this coming Sunday to start commercial fishing for the summer. We hope to return in August. I am a little nervous of what living conditions we will return to, but I know I just need to trust in God. Please pray for all those who will be dealing with things in Galena all summer long. It will be exhausting. You all are heroes in my eyes!