As flood waters recede in the northwest United States, a tide of service - sometimes tinged with deep human emotion and courage - is rising as members join neighbors and friends in relief and clean-up efforts.
In the wake of the disaster, which spread throughout parts of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana the week of Feb. 5, thousands are returning to water-soaked homes, including more than 80 owned by Latter-day Saints. Facing the victims are massive amounts of mud and debris. According to the Associated Press, as of Feb. 13, an estimated 2,000 - including some Church members - were still out of their homes. The number of homes destroyed is still vague as water levels continue to drop. At least two LDS meetinghouses were reported flooded.The Associated Press also reported that, as of Feb. 12, the death toll was at seven. No Church members have been reported killed or injured.
Seeing those in need "just breaks your heart," said John Murphy, president of the Puyallup Washington Stake. He explained that the Sumner Ward was the hardest hit, with two LDS homes destroyed and four others with water damage. He added that 14 other LDS homes in the stake sustained damage.
At times, his voice broke with emotion as he related efforts to help residents - many elderly - of four mobile home parks within stake boundaries.
As reports began to come in from his bishops, Pres. Murphy decided to visit some of the hardest-hit areas himself. "I had no idea how much damage there was," he told the Church News. "I was appalled. As the water receded, we could see the damage was horrendous. Local authorities can't get you much help for three or four days, so we went to the people in these mobile home parks."
Pres. Murphy said they began helping the elderly and infirm - regardless of church affiliation. On Sunday, Feb. 11, he directed bishops to hold only sacrament meetings so members could join relief efforts. After Church meetings, the members were urged to meet at the stake center, which they did - some 800 with shovels, snow scoops and buckets. From there, they headed to the mobile home parks where they scraped out mud and debris from homes and yards and pulled up ruined carpets.
"In one driveway, there was 5 feet of mud. The guy's car was parked in his carport. It was terrible," Pres. Murphy said. "We have a tendency to take care of our own, but there was nobody to take care of these people."
The stake president spoke gently as he described one elderly woman - not LDS - who he met at the clubhouse in one of the mobile home parks.
"She thought we were there just seeking out our own. She wondered if we would help. We said, `Tell us where you are, and of course we'll help.' "
In the Olympia Washington Stake, Pres. Ralph Smith reported that 22 LDS homes in the Lacey 4th Ward had to be evacuated because of flooding, with at least one going "down the river." In addition, some of the others "will certainly have lost everything," he added.
He explained that members took in the families, with relief supplies coming from a bishop's storehouse and from Deseret Industries.
In speaking of relief efforts throughout the community, Pres. Smith said work crews, including 18 missionaries from the Washington Tacoma Mission, are helping victims. In addition, the stake center was used for several days as a Red Cross shelter, with volunteers including stake members, and many have been organizing "food brigades" to volunteers sandbagging in nearby Nisqually.
The Woodland Ward was the hardest hit in the Longview Washington Stake, according to Bill Davis, second counselor in the stake presidency. About eight LDS homes in Woodland were flooded with from 1 to 4 feet of water, while two homes in the Castle Rock Ward and four homes in the Kelso Ward were flooded.
In addition, the Woodland meetinghouse was flooded with up to 5 1/2 feet of water.
Concerning relief efforts, Pres. Davis said LDS work crews have gone into LDS and non-LDS homes alike for clean-up efforts. Members are also providing food - from the bishop's storehouse in Portland, Ore. - for volunteers and victims in Woodland.
Members throughout affected areas are reaching out, whether or not they were victims themselves. Members of the Tacoma Washington South Stake made some 1,000 lunches for volunteers and victims. Stake Pres. Richard Wells related that in response to a request from the Red Cross, more than 30 Relief Society sisters met at the Red Cross shelter in downtown Tacoma. He added that the organization happened very quickly - within two hours after he contacted the stake Relief Society president.
In addition, some 200 blankets were provided to the shelter for victims.
Dorinda Burrell, Relief Society president in the Sandview Ward, explained that most of the helpers from her ward were elderly sisters. "They are sisters who sometimes don't have opportunities to serve in other capacities. They were happy to do something."
In Oregon, one of the hardest hit areas included the Hillsboro stake, about 15 miles west of Portland. Cliff Nielson, second counselor in the stake presidency, explained that the members most affected are in the Tillamook Ward, about 55 miles west of Portland, and the Vernonia Branch, about 45 miles northwest of Portland.
Pres. Nielson said, concerning Vernonia: "The whole town was under water. We had probably 10 or 11 families with damage to their homes. Luckily the Church building didn't have any damage."
About two families in the Tillamook Ward, which also was affected by high tides as the town is on the coast, had water damage in their homes. Pres. Nielson explained relief crews were at work helping both communities with clean-up efforts. In addition, members have been cooperating with county officials to match victims with relief crews.
Among many other areas affected by the flooding are the Keizer Oregon Stake, and the Sandpoint Idaho and Coeur D'Alene Idaho stakes. Some 300 LDS families were among about 12,000 evacuated from Keizer because of fear of flooding from potential dike failure. According Stake Pres. Ron M. Hellewell, those members have since returned to their homes.
In the Coeur D'Alene stake, five families in the St. Maries Ward and about three families in the Kellogg Ward are temporarily out of their homes
Lloyd Calderwood, first counselor in the stake presidency, related that one family of new converts living on an island on the Spokane River had about 300 people, many non-LDS, save their home through sandbagging.
In the Sandpoint stake, the basement of the stake center was flooded, explained Stake Pres. Nelson M. Boren. In addition, members living in Libby, Mont., had to evacuate for a short time but have since returned.
Relief and clean-up efforts are ongoing throughout the Northwest as waters from the "Flood of 1996," as termed by the Associated Press, continue to recede.