Just My Opinion - By Mary Kilen
In The Midst Of Tragedy Communities Come Together
I spent the weekend just sick to my stomach watching reports of the fires that were spreading across western North Dakota. It is devastating to see the loss incurred by so many of our rural neighbors and the risk that was in place for whole communities.
I also spent the weekend watching the posts on Facebook of people offering space for livestock. People were looking for ways to help and many just stepped up and did it. Donation accounts have been set up. Food, clothing, household goods, personal items and more have been taken to those in need and to centralized locations. Because that is what communities do. When one of us is hurting, we all hurt. When communities are in need, other communities step up to the plate to help fill that need.
I watched our volunteer fire department send crews and equipment to help fight the fires across the area. I talked to one fireman who had been out in the overnight hours of Friday into Saturday fighting fire in one location. He got home with enough time as he said “to take a shower and eat a hamburger” before he was sent out to a new location.
It was our weekend to man the movie at Regis Theater. I watched with fear and yet pride as I watched our trucks coming and going throughout the evening on Saturday. I had more pride as I watched trucks from a community to our north come down Main Street with their lights and sirens going as they, too, were heading out to help fight these fires.
Without the dedication of all of these fire departments, both those in the impacted areas and those that came from a distance to help, I can’t imagine how much worse this could have been. They had great assistance from other agencies that were dispatched to help try to contain these fires, but these departments are always our first line of defense. They, along with the farmers, who had their equipment at the ready to try and create a break in the fire line, are vital to the success of the mission.
As I write my column, over 40,000 acres are listed in the release from the Governor’s office as being the size of the fires. That does not include the fires by Tioga and Ray as they were not available yet or the fire by Charlson which was just listed as a length. That does not include the loss of life, property, livestock and fields which are still to be determined. It will take time to get through all of that information and even longer for people to recover and heal from this tragedy.
It is easy in the first days to remember those that are hurting and to step up to the plate to help. The challenge is to remember them as the weeks go by. This will have a long-lasting impact on those affected and the communities they live in. Keep them in your prayers as they navigate through the weeks and months to come.