Rain couldn't wash away spirit

"Swamped" read the front-page headline of the June 9, 2008, edition of The Tribune.

Swamped, indeed, and it was going to get a lot worse before it got better, as the floodwaters that swept into the county the day before continued to rampage through the area.

Before it was over, the flood of 2008 would stand second - and barely second, at that - only to the record flood of 1913 and its 21 feet of fury. On June 8, 2008, the East Fork of the White River crested at 20.92 feet, according to the National Weather Service.

It was an extraordinary time. Some residents on the west side of Seymour were evacuated. Schneck Medical Center opened its doors to patients from flooded Columbus Regional Hospital.

After the river crested at Seymour, it continued to snake its way through Jackson County, looping back on itself as it inundated fields, farms and homes as it made its way to Medora, where it laid waste to several homes.

People wept as they looked at ruined photographs and irreplaceable heirlooms. Farmers' faces turned grim as they surveyed their young crops.

Yet, there was something stirring in the air that was as wonderful as the flood had been terrible.

It began as soon as the first sign of trouble showed itself. Emergency workers and ordinary citizens alike went the extra mile to care for others.

As soon as the water swept past one area, people would emerge and begin to clean up debris and make what repairs they could, but not before they had checked on neighbors and loved ones. People whose homes were untouched by the floodwaters waded into the muddy, water-soaked homes of people who were not so fortunate.

Mud was washed away, pumps hummed in basements and doors opened to the temporarily displaced.

People gathered together and worked to help those they could and guided those they couldn't to the nonprofit and government agencies that could aid them.

It was a task that would consume the months ahead, exhausting all who had put their shoulder to the wheel and begun the uphill push.

It must, at times, have seemed impossible.

But here we are, a year later, and although things may never be quite the same for those hardest-hit, they, along with their fellow citizens, can stand with pride as we look back at the seemingly insurmountable odds that have been overcome in the past year.

We not only survived, but also found out just how strong and caring the residents of this county can be.

People of Jackson County, please know that all you did is much appreciated.

A heartfelt thanks to all of you.