Water, Water, Everywhere...

Minot, ND- Flood of 2011

And not a drop to drink."  That is the phrase that came to my mind as we pulled into Minot, ND yesterday afternoon.  The area has been hit by the worst flood since 1881, surpassing several other major floods in the 1900's.  The water has receded quite a bit in the last few days of good weather, but there are still a lot of areas underwater, and the damage to the residential areas is amazing.  Right now, there is only one north/south road to get into the city, so, as you can imagine, the traffic is, as the old Christmas song states, terrific!  In addition to being flooded, the city has been on water conservation measures, so any unnecessary water use is discouraged - such as washing cars, etc.  There was some water contamination because of the flooding, so all water must be boiled before drinking, washing dishes, brushing teeth, and cooking.  I am very thankful that we have a tank full of Wyoming water in our trailer!  I won't have to worry about boiling all our water for a few days.  They expect that the ban on drinking the water will be lifted in the next few days, since they are testing it several times a day.  The weather is beautiful, and as we anticipate celebrating Independence Day, we can be thankful for the wonderful country God has given us, and the freedom we enjoy.