Flooding is not uncommon in the St. Louis area, but the recent flood has left an unprecedented mark on our cities community. On the night of Christmas Eve, the rain began. It did not start out as much, but it continued nonstop for several days. Rivers, such as the Mississippi, reached its crest at 31 feet, a record high.

Many towns were severely affected by this rushing of water. Several neighborhoods, homes, schools, and shopping centers have been completely destroyed due to the rushing waters. Even in some circumstances, entire homes were wiped away, resulting in 14 people killed in Missouri alone.

Several families in our Westminster community have faced many struggles due to the flood waters. Several members of faculty, teachers, and students have lost their homes and possessions to the waters. Anna Huynh, Senior, is just one example of a student affected by the floods. Although her home was not directly damaged, her neighborhood was surrounded by water which caused her family to be stuck in their home.

“Basically, the only way I could leave my

neighborhood was taking unmarked trails through the woods that surround the area and having a family

member, who could not enter the subdivision, pick me up and drive me to where I needed to go… it was almost like living on an island,” said Huynh.

Another example is Rex Janssen. Janssen’s flooding was a little different from the normal water flooding. Janssen received a warning from his neighbor about sewage water rushing into his neighbor’s basement. The Janssen’s decided to move their furniture upstairs, which was smart because the sewage water entered the Janssen’s home just a couple hours later.

“Much damage has occurred to our basement. We were forced to move out of our home due to the smell. Also, we were told not to run our furnace, which caused our home to become too cold to stay there,” said Janssen.

Janssen’s home received drastic amounts of damage that required his family to make lots of repairs. They were forced to purchase new new water heater, washer and dryer, replace a large majority of their drywall, replace their wood flooring, replace their entire bathroom, and sanitize their entire home.  Luckily, many people reached out to the Janssen family and helped them throughout this difficult time. His sister-in-law has allowed the Janssen’s to move in and stay with them till their home is repaired. Also, lots of teachers and friends have promised to help the Janssen’s with moving in furniture after repairs are finished.

“The Lord has used this difficult time to show our family that others really do care and are willing to help when the time arises.” said Janssen.

Although these harsh flood waters have greatly impacted the WCA community, Westminster has reached to help and support each of the affected family. A family that was greatly impacted by the flooding, is that of Jason Wilkins, world views teacher. The Wilkins were forced to place all of their belongings on their counters and tables to protect from flood waters, but even that was not enough. The water rose high enough to cover the counters and tables. They have been forced to wait for their home to dry out before they are even able to begin making repairs.

Westminster attempted to serve these families by having a fundraiser for those affected by the flood at a recent basketball game. They were successful in raising around three thousand dollars to help these families.

Several members of staff and the student body were forced to miss school due to the repairs needed within their homes. Even though the amount of repairs needed ranged between families, from minor renovations to complete rebuilding, each life was greatly impacted. After a period out of the building each person that was forced to miss school due to the flood, has returned.