Aug 20, 2007 8:10 pm US/Central
Rushford Residents Cope With Flood Devastation
by John Lauritsen
(WCCO)
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This picture is looking down on the town of Rushford, Minn.
Eric Humble
One of the hardest hit areas from the weekend flooding was the community of Rushford, where flood waters there broke the dike.
A lot of progress has been made there since Sunday. The water level which was shoulder high in some spots has dropped below knee level.
Despite the progress many residents were evacuated Sunday and it may be a week or more before they're let back in their homes and business.
Mary Conkel was a lucky one. The flood buried a trailor park behind her home as the water level crept up to 10 feet from her doorstep.
She was lucky in other ways too. During the storm her daughter gave birth to a baby girl. But so far the weather has kept her from traveling to see her granddaughter.
"I know it's a girl. That's all I know," Conkel said with a big smile.
Many weren't as lucky as she was. One computer company lost over $4 million in equipment.
Everything from phone service to gas and electricity has been non-existent in Rushford. The city is using huge pumps along Highway 16 to move thousands of gallons of water per minute into the Root River.
The National Guard is there to help with cleanup and security, while the Red Cross has set up a shelter that took in over 130 people Sunday.
If the rain holds off city officials say electricity could soon be restored.
"We'll get the electricity back on in areas that can be put back on. And at that point we'll begin worry about the sewer and the water, which the water is still not drinkable at this point," said Windy Block, Rushford City Administrator.
With everyghing to deal with people are keeping spirits up.
"We'll survive this I'm sure. We'll overcome this," said Block.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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