The Worst of Times; The Best of Mankind

This has been another wet end to winter in Fenton.  All of the rain we have had recently reminded me of the winter-into-spring season in 2008 when Fenton was engulfed in one of its worst floods.  It was also March, and the flooding became critical the Thursday and Friday leading up to Easter Sunday.

Pleas went out over the Saint Louis media for help, and the call was answered.  Over 2,000 people from the area, from other parts of Missouri, and from other states showed up to sand bag and help us protect our beautiful town. 

I was amazed and touched by everyone's generosity.  Ordinary citizens, organizations, civic leaders, church groups, and business leaders alike gave of their time, their expertise, and their goods. Food and water were provided for the volunteers daily by restaurants and stores all around the County.  Personally, I manned a golf card that delivered refreshments/provisions and relief workers to the bagging sites around Fenton. Both were equally welcomed and appreciated.

The possibility of devastation is always near when a town is created beside a river - like Fenton was.  But there has to be a way to help us resolve the too frequent, too painful conflicts with the water.  Each flood takes a toll on Fenton's infrastructure.  Riverbanks erode; land is lost; pavements and streets buckle and break.  Houses and businesses are damaged and, unfortunately, are sometimes destroyed.  And, according to About.com Weather, "floods kill more people than any other type of severe weather."

We need a way to address this problem.  Approximately 50% of Fenton's border is water.  We cannot continue to just sit and wait for the next 100-Year and 500-Year floods.  We must be proactive.  Conducting a preliminary engineering study of Fenton Creek may provide a cost-effective way of reducing the impact of area flooding.  Also, I have been told that we would be able to reclaim about 25% of the land lost to flooding and make it usable again. 

We are approaching the five-year anniversary of that 2008 flood.  Then, I was running for Alderman, Ward 1.  Now, I am running for Mayor of Fenton.  I recently ran across the letter that I mailed out in 2008 during that campaign, after the worst of the flood had passed.  In the letter, I commented on the continually growing bagging sites and how the volunteers never seemed to tire.

My final paragraph of that letter summed it up:

"We have seen how random acts of kindness, sweat, and a sense of community combined to create the work needed to preserve the buildings and histories of Fenton.  Businesses, citizens, church groups, families, and strangers all came together to show us how great they thought Fenton was in our time of need."

I welcome you to share your thoughts and ideas regarding this subject by submitting a comment.