Piles of sheetrock and furniture from flooded basements can be found all across the flooded region of southeast South Dakota. This house in Mitchell was waiting for a truck to haul debris to the city landfill. Photos by Dave Stucke, Dakotas Conference.

“Worship this Sunday was about focusing on trusting God and hanging in there,” says Betty Janke, who conducted worship at the United Methodist Church in Olivet, South Dakota. “There is significant flooding all around us. Wolf Creek Hutterite Colony, just outside of our town, is completely underwater. They have lost a lot of livestock.”
 
United Methodist congregations are listening, praying, and responding. Flooded roadways deterred the pastor of the United Methodist Church in Olivet, South Dakota from traveling to the community for worship on Sunday. So, Betty Janke, a lay minister, conducted the worship service. 
 
Flooding continues at unprecedented levels throughout southeast South Dakota. According to the National Weather Service, this weekend saw the James River at its highest levels in the area in recorded history. The flooding came as a result of massive downpours in the Mitchell area last week. Some areas recorded more than 10 inches of rain.

These bridges on Highway 38 east of Mitchell, SD, remained open, but the James River, swelled by torrential rainfall, crept up onto the shoulder (center of photo) by Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019.

Many homeowners in Madison, South Dakota, saw two to three feet of water in their basements. And for some, it was flooding their first floor. “People are tired. Everyone is busy,” says Pastor Randy Hedge, who serves Madison UMC. “Some people are frozen, overwhelmed. The water levels are still high. The churches in the community are working together to help people.” 
 
Madison UMC will host their regularly planned community meal, The Gathering, on Monday evening. On Tuesday, the congregation is preparing to serve a community meal for anyone that has been impacted by the flood. Hedge reports that some homes are still needing to be cleared out of water-damaged furnishings. Most people are now in a waiting mode with insurance companies. 
 
Rev. Keith Nelson, who serves at Downtown First United Methodist Church in Mitchell, South Dakota, stated that people have been experiencing a wide variety of water issues from damp spots to a couple of feet of water in their basements. Farmers seem to be facing a tremendous impact. “One farmer, who attended worship on Sunday, reported to me that his house was without damage, but the remaining part of the farm was completely underwater,” says Nelson. 
 

Water levels in this field in Hanson County, SD, crept very close to the farm in the background. Water levels were very slow to recede, hampering farmers' ability to even survey the damage in some areas.

Mitchell UMC is home to Love Feast—a hot meal for community members, twice a month. Love Feast was served on Thursday, despite the flooding. “It was important to keep things in place and provide what Love Feast offers,” Nelson says. “In some way, every one of the guests were impacted by the flood. I asked those serving to welcome everyone and ask, how are you? It was important to let the guests know that you are glad they came.”

Although the water in Montrose, South Dakota seems to be receding, rains are being forecasted. “We continue to serve meals at the community center. People who were evacuated from their homes are returning and beginning to clean out their homes,” says Rev. Valerie Hummel LaBounty, who serves Montrose UMC. “People are working together to serve meals and clean out homes.”

Flooding over Highway 38 in Montrose, SD restricted travel for flooding victims and first responders. Photo by Rev. Valerie LaBounty.

Montrose UMC is hosting a pancake breakfast on Saturday, September 21 at 10:30 a.m. with a free will offering going toward local flood relief. If anyone wants to donate a monetary gift to the Montrose flood relief, the church would be happy to distribute that into the community. "There are about 40 homes that have been affected and we want to do all we can to help rebuild our community," says Pastor Valerie. 
 
After a trio of tornadoes last week, the city of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is slowly getting back to normal. More than 8,500 loads of debris have come through the two debris drop-off sites since they were opened, stated Sioux Falls city officials.

Congregations in the Sioux Falls area are reaching out through the 211-volunteer center to help neighbors clear debris, mostly trees, and tree branches. Asbury and First United Methodist Churches delayed the kickoff of their Wednesday night worship, education, and family events, due to a lack of electricity. First UMC is hosting volunteers from Team Rubicon. Team Rubicon is an international non-profit disaster response organization made up of retired military veterans. 

A minivan navigates water flowing across the driving lanes of Interstate 90 between Mitchell and Sioux Falls, SD, on September 15, 2019. Although all drivers are warned against driving through standing water, the SD DOT had workers at this site to control traffic for safe passage.

Three families that attend Asbury United Methodist Church in Sioux Falls experienced significant structural damages. “We have three families that we are aware of that will be out of their homes for several months,” says Rev. Kip Roozen, who serves Asbury UMC. “We hope to support them in whatever way we can.”  
 
Roozen lost the deck at his house from falling tree branches. He reports that several members of the congregation had trees and branches down. “We are fortunate in so many ways. Just eight blocks away from the church, there was significant damage,” he says.
 
Just east of Sioux Falls, there is only one way in and out of the city of Brandon, South Dakota. “We are an island here,” says Pastor Marty Martens, who serves Celebration UMC in Brandon, South Dakota. “We have some businesses that are affected by the flooding. Some homes have water but nothing significant. Congregational members are helping each other out.” 
 
If you would like to reach out to volunteer or assist in any of the communities dealing with devastation throughout southeastern South Dakota, call 211 to get connected.