United Day Nursery Flood of 1997 Chapter Three We are Open!

United Day Nursery at Lake Agassiz School

United Day Nursery Director Suzie Thorson writes...

At our staff meeting May 5th, there was a lot of hugging and crying going on - but it was great to see everyone and hear their story. It was very important to let everyone tell their story and to be good listeners. Then I started the meeting and shared as much information as I knew about what we had lost and about starting as soon as we were ready to start and that they would be paid for all the days we were closed. After a lot of discussion, we decided to open on Wednesday (in just two days). We would bring as much as we could from United, and Cookie said we could use almost everything of Head Start's.

Together we figured we could start on Wednesday, May 7th. Staff helped that afternoon and the next day to haul pickup loads of stuff to the Head Start building. Chris and I organized the enrollment process. Children already enrolled went to one desk and the other children went to another station to fill out all necessary forms. It was wild, but it worked. We were exhausted by Friday. It was good to have a weekend to rest up. The hardest part of that week was when a parent came up to me and said, "I'm sorry that you don't have any place to go after this." I answered, "We are going back to United - it is structurally sound." I stayed calm, but I was devastated that someone would say that.

We brought our computers over to Head Start. Chris and Delores set them up. We tried to settle into some kind of a schedule - we desperately needed it. Delores and I were in a very, very small office, but it worked.

We had 77 children by noon on the first day. Enrollment continued to increase - by the end of the week, we had 135 children enrolled. Our meals came from the Red Cross until May 29, when Dona cooked lunch for us. We had hotdish and we all cheered!

Go to Chapter Four...

What do you remember about the first meeting at Head Start?

United Day Nursery staff members write...

• The relief of seeing everyone again. Depression at realizing what some of my closest friends had been through. - Mary Dalzell
• Excitement as each person came into the meeting. Telling and sharing flood experiences. The "where are you now" question. - Janice Hinkley
• We talked about the amount of damage United Day Nursery suffered, and where we were going from here. - Kitrina Pede
• I remember wondering what we were going to do and being very glad to have something back that was normal. - Christie Taylor
• Everyone was somber and in a daze. Anxious to see each other, we hugged and cried but were happy for each other. - Lila Jane Nelson

What were your thoughts regarding the first days we were open?

United Day Nursery staff members write...

• What were we going to do to make the day a happy one for the children when they were so many things wrong. - Roseann Koppy
• Very hectic, but at the same time so happy to be working and to see the children. - Mary Dalzell
• It felt like a dream - hard to believe it really happened. - Sheila Wright
• The first days were very hectic, chaotic, hard, but it was great to see other staff members and students. It was hard to work in another school. It made you realize everything that had been destroyed, - Bill Roberts
• Excitement as each of our own students came back. That "so much to do" feeling. - Janice Hinkley
• It was a challenge to see how good we can do with what we had after losing so much. It proved to me that if there is a will, there is a way of doing anything. - Patty Sobolik

In what way could you see the flood affected the children?

United Day Nursery staff members write...

• Many were sad and confused about what was going on. They were afraid of losing and giving up what they had before. - Patty Sobolik
• They acceped their loss of home, security, and toys so matter of fact. It amazed me. - Kathy McCue
• The children would talk about the flood as if the teachers had not been in the flood. - Lila Jane Nelson
• Many were scared because we were in another building which was strange to them. They didn't have their toys to play with. The only thing that was the same was the teachers. We tried to use the same schedules as before so something would be the same. - Roseann Koppy
• They would say they used to have things such as toys before the flood, but now they were gone. - Mary Dalzell
• They were very clingy and wanted lots of hugs and attention. They talked a lot about where they were staying and about all the toys that were flooded. - Christie Taylor
• The children that got separated from their parents during the flood had a hard time separating from the parents at day care. - Marilyn Yanish
• Some didn't appear affected, others showed it by crying for no reason, needing lots of hugs, always holding your hand, or acting out by arguing. - Kitrina Pede

Go to Chapter Four...

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