Bob Collins
Here’s a tip: If you get up at 5 in the morning to drive to Rushford, Minn., for a look at how the town has fared since a devastating flash flood a year ago, make sure you check your calendar to make sure you’re doing so on the right day. Ask me how I know.
It turns out my appointments with some fine folks for a tour of the town are tomorrow.
No matter. It’s a nice town and a beautiful area and I’ll be happy to go back again on Friday.
In the meantime, I had the opportunity to look around today. If you want to have a flash flood, Rushford is the perfect place to have it. It sits at the bottom of several hills, and while you wouldn’t think Rush Creek would be a threat to the town…
… it most certainly was a threat back on August 18, 2007 when a flash flood killed six people in Southeast Minnesota.
The town still needs help, but help has pretty much run out. The volunteers that are left are soon going to pull out. On Saturday, the town will thank the volunteers who helped put the town back together.
It’s not hard to figure out where the flood waters swept through. Look for either a new home, a FEMA trailer, or an empty lot…
Construction boomed during the spring, but has tapered off now. Tomorrow afternoon, I’ll give you a little multimedia guided tour of the community.
