By Tom Cook, Hawarden Area Coordinator, and Roxanne Cook, Hawarden Area City Life Manager
Featured in The Message – Summer 2024 Edition!
What started as a normal summer in Hawarden very quickly turned into an unprecedented one. On Saturday, June 22, disastrous waters were quickly coming, so the community gathered to fill sandbags. It was incredible to see how everyone came together to fill sandbags by the hundreds; there was no difference in skin color, church preference, or financial status. We were all fighting together to save our community. The Thursday after the flood, YFC staff and volunteers worked together to open the Teen Center and the community was grateful for it. Our Teen Center became a safe place for young people to share their stories and the situations they and their families were going through.
Our leaders have heard many stories because of this catastrophe. One student shared how his mom’s, dad’s, and grandparents’ houses were destroyed. We heard about basement walls caving in. Some students were jobless because the town’s newly renovated restaurant was completely submerged in water. Many students and their families could not go back to their homes and needed to live in temporary housing. One student was no longer able to attend the YFC Camp due to the loss of their belongings. There are at least three churches in the community that were damaged and had their services relocated for the foreseeable future.
The high school became the hub of activity and served as a shelter for community members. We spent many hours at the high school distributing supplies, listening to stories, and generally supporting those who were affected. Churches, organizations, and individuals donated their time, finances, and resources to YFC leaders so that we could provide essentials, such as clothing and food, to those who needed it. Everything that we were able to provide was gratefully received by community members. We know that recovery from this tragedy will not be a sprint, but a marathon. YFC will be available to support students and the community for as long as the recovery takes and beyond. We are extremely grateful for the immense support we have received and will continue to pass it along to the affected community members.