HAMBURG, Iowa (AP) — Water that has been pouring through a breached Missouri River levee finally reached a makeshift barrier that is a small Iowa town’s only hope of avoiding major flooding, authorities said Thursday.
A personal story helps us understand what that means: “The reason I am contacting you today is recently our area has been affected by the worst flooding since 1952 and some say ever. I myself have been forced to move from my home in Hamburg, Iowa to the nearby town of Nebraska City Nebraska where I work to save a 2 hr trip twice a day which I cant afford to make. My 5 yr old daughter, however, is back in Hamburg, with my mom and dad, as there are no openings with any of the daycare facilities in Nebraska City. My neighbors here at the campground, where I am residing, have a daughter involved with the chapter from around the Chicago area. They told their daughter about my situation with my daughter and myself and how I went from seeing her every night to only being able to see her every two weeks. You see this special woman brought me a Hugs Across America bear back with her on a visit to her mom and dad over the last holiday. This bear and someone doing something like that for someone they have never met really proved to me that even the smallest thing like a teddy bear can change some ones life. You see this bear now means the world to my little girl and every time she holds it she smiles and says this is my special bear, it helps me think of daddy. This little bear means the world to the both of us and I want to thank you for starting such a wonderful organization.
There are roughly 70 families forced out of their homes just in my county alone and many more in the neighboring counties just a short drive away. I would love to see the same smile that I saw on my daughter’s face that day she received a Hugs teddy bear, on the faces of all the little children of the families that are having to adjust to a new way of life after having lost so much.”
Needless to say, 100 Hugs teddies are on their way to Hamburg, Iowa and the 70 families in need of special hugs. Thank you, for sharing your story!