What do you do when a river cuts your city in half and you live on the opposite side of the river from the grocery store, the pharmacy and the hardware store? What do you do when the only route to shopping is the one remaining bridge across the flood and has to be shared with the other 40,000 residents? What do you do when the flood waters stay at record levels for weeks? How do you deal with the order to boil your drinking water, including the water you wash dishes and make ice with?
I have it easy. I can run down to the grocery store in a few minutes. I can drink the water from my tap and it's delicious and safe even without a filter. The people in Minot don't have it easy, and they have a long road ahead. But, tonight I saw another wonderful thing that shows the kind of amazing people who live in Minot. Temporary stores are being set up on the north end of town, a grocery store, a pharmacy and even a hardware store that sells sump pumps. The pharmacy's building is under water. Now they have set up shop in an empty warehouse and a semi truck, and have brought with them the records of prescriptions for the residents. The grocery store, which also lost its building is setting up an open air market. They are selling bottled water at a reduced price. Since my house was on the north end, I can totally see myself shopping at these temporary stores, and thinking that is a wonderful thing for this Wednesday.
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