I gathered my small TRibe of dedicated Team Rubicon volunteers, including one who drove eight hours to my house straight from wildland firefighting training. I had no idea how the weird people of Missoula would amaze me. Of course, I said sure, we’ll give a shot. I was driving north to offer help when Missoula County called me, asking for Team Rubicon’s help in managing the spontaneous volunteer efforts. I live well south of Missoula, but the emergency managers and other disaster organizations in the area know me. But the effort was unfocused and a bit chaotic. Construction companies and dump truck owners stepped up, donating more sand. Churches came forward, purchasing sand and mobilizing their congregations. People came forward and started helping, wherever and however they could. Been here before, we’ll survive it this time too, the bird says.īut the newer homeowners and renters? They were shocked, sometimes in complete denial and terribly unprepared. One house has a sandbag wall around the entire house, with a flamingo pool float out front. They had sand and bags delivered early and started building walls and dikes. Some homeowners knew it was coming, they’d seen it before. Brand new subdivisions, in supposedly safe areas, flooded or were inundated by groundwater. While areas of Missoula flood semi-regularly, new areas flooded, to the point that three mobile homes floated down the river and three others were removed before they followed suit. Montana’s snowpack broke records this year, then we had some particularly strong rainstorms, and it combined into a 40-year flood. But sometimes, it reminds us of the power of water. It’s loved by kayakers, fishermen, floaters, tourists…everybody, really. It’s beautiful, despite being hemmed in by the city. The Clark Fork River runs through the middle of Missoula. Sometimes that leads to rather strange, wild and crazy things, but it also leads to amazing compassion and action. More than a popular bumper sticker, it’s a way of life in Missoula, Montana.
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