The national news has been sadly lacking in its coverage, but by now you may have heard about the devastating flooding that hit Nebraska in recent weeks.
Nebraska is near and dear because, though I was born and raised in mid-Missouri, when I went away to college, it was to Nebraska.
It was in Nebraska that I met my husband, and while we dated, he fired up his 1974 Camaro and drove me farther north to Knox County and the small town of Bloomfield where he grew up.
On weekend visits home we’d drive through the Devils Nest near the Missouri River where it borders with South Dakota. It was then I first visited Niobrara (what do you mean they moved a whole town?), drove across the Mormon Bridge on The Outlaw Trail (who is Kid Wade?), ate my first kolache (yum!) in Verdigre.
We honeymooned in a cabin on Lewis and Clark Lake.
And, even when we lived far away, Nebraska drew us back.
This past week, we’ve watched in dismay as Nebraska — which has more miles of river than any other state in the union — has seen most of its almost 80,000 rivers flooding, with devastating results. More than half the counties in the state have had some sort of evacuation order given, and 65 out of 93 of them have declared a state of emergency.
But in the middle of this awfulness (and believe me, when you see the pictures and videos, it’s awful), there also something else — something that’s even more important.
#NebraskaStrong
Maybe it’s the result of years of dealing with the weather. Maybe it comes from cheering on their beloved Cornhuskers in good seasons and bad. But the end result is a state filled with strong, resilient people.
Nebraska is the land of the positive reframe. Give them a cloud and they will find a silver lining. As bad as this situation is, they are keenly aware that it could have been so much worse.
Want to know how to help? Visit the Fremont Tribune for a list of groups getting aid to people in need.