By SARAH THOMACK
St. Joseph Post

Chick-fil-A in St. Joseph served enough chicken on April 6th to make an almost $8,000 donation to help area flood victims.

A giant check presentation was held Thursday morning at the Chick-fil-A located at 5303 North Belt Highway in St. Joseph.

Chick-fil-A St. Joseph owner Ruthie Seitz said they donated 50% of all sales between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 6, to United Way of Greater St. Joseph’s Flood Relief Fund. 

“Our hearts go out to those who have been impacted by the flooding, who have been displaced, who have lost family homes and we have a team member that is with us whose family farm has been underwater for awhile now,” Seitz said. “Just being able to help in some small way, those people try to get back some of what they have lost is just what we were hoping to do.”

Chick-fil-A Team Member Mary (who asked that her last name not be used) was one of those affected by the flood. She said her boyfriend has property at Big Lake and the family farm in extreme northwest Missouri, which has been through the floods of ‘84, ‘93 and 2011, once again is underwater.

“This year was just so much more devastating because of when it came, it came earlier. So when it’s drying out, we’re still dealing with the spring rains instead of having a nice July drought. So it’s made it harder… to get things cleaned up.”

Mary, according to Seitz, has kept a positive attitude through all the cleaning up and rebuilding, including helping others with flood cleanup.

Mary told St. Joseph Post, Chick-fil-A not only is helping flooding victims by donating funds from April 6th, but they have been understanding as she deals with her own flood cleanup.

“Everybody here is fabulous to work with because what they’ve kind of let me do is just say, ‘Hey, I think I’m going to need this week off,’ and they let me take off to go,” Mary said. “It really meant a lot (the fundraiser), I was very proud. I saw a lot of my friends who are flood victims here that Saturday and they were very happy, very appreciative of all of it.”

United Way of Greater St. Joseph President Kylee Strough said the money will be added to the United Way’s Flood Relief Fund.

“(It) is really designed to serve people in the 17-county area that we service and help people with needs that will be unmet by other resources,” Strough said. “That can include people who were directly impacted by flooding, maybe their primary residence was impacted, but we’re also beginning to get calls about people who are having to drive an extra hundred miles everyday to work because of flooded out roads and bridges in their regular route and things like that.”

Strough tells St. Joseph Post, the funds will be made available for case workers and social service agencies to apply on behalf of individuals and families to receive support.

“We’ll never be able to make people whole after a flood, it’s devastating to the families that were impacted, and we recognize that, but if there’s something that we can do to help fill in gaps, that’s where United Way wants to be.”

For more information on United Way’s Flood relief efforts and how to donate funds or supplies for cleanup, click here.

Strough said some of the most needed cleaning supply items are Clorox, vinegar and ShockWave disinfectant.

By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

A United States Senator from Kansas is frustrated that a disaster aid package, which would provide assistance to flood victims, has stalled in Congress.

But, Sen. Jerry Moran says presidential politics might help.

Moran, a Republican, says Midwestern flooding which has caused at least three billion dollars in damage has gotten the attention of many in Washington, especially those with aspirations for the White House.

“There are people now who are paying attention to this legislation that makes it more likely that we can get it done,” Moran tells St. Joseph Post. “And, again, in a presidential year, Republicans and Democrats, those who want to be president and those who are president, need to be paying attention to the Midwest.”

Moran points out presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, attended a Senate public hearing on flood damage held in Iowa, where she was campaigning. Gillibrand is a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee which held the hearing in Glenwood, Iowa, just across the river from Omaha.

Moran attended the hearing after touring flood damage in northeast Kansas.

Moran contends the Corps doesn’t prioritize flood control in its management of the Missouri River. Also, Moran believes the Corps cares a bit more about the northern Missouri River basin at the expense of the southern portion.

“From Gavin’s Point up on the South Dakota border south, it seems that that’s not a priority,” Moran says. “The lakes and reservoirs that hold the water are in South and North Dakota. Those are clearly important, but when we appropriate money for flood control in the Missouri River basin, places like Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas cannot be forgotten.”

Moran says it appears more pressure is being applied to the Corps to change the master manual which guides how it manages the Missouri River.

Moran says flooding, which has caused at least three billion dollars in damage, might not be over this year.

“Last time we had major floods like this they occurred in the summer months. What that means is that we have a lot of water already here and yet spring rains and snow melt are yet to occur and we need to make certain the Corps is doing everything they can in managing the reservoirs and controlling the release of water to get water downstream before more water comes in the next weeks and months.”

The hearing focused on how the Corps of Engineers manages the river and whether the master manual which guides operation of the Missouri River upstream dams should be changed in wake of the 1993, 2011, and 2019 floods.