The Flood that impacted Thousands

Joelle Poll

 

            When I applied to become a Horticulture volunteer at the Lake Superior zoo in Duluth, Minnesota, this past summer, I did not even begin to imagine the lasting effect of what was yet to come would have on me and the public. I had only been volunteering for a couple weeks when on the night of June 19, 2012, northern Minnesota was issued to be in a severe flood warning by the National Weather Service. I didn’t think anything of it because everybody who’s familiar with northern Minnesota wouldn’t ever think a damaging flood would ever occur, so my family and I thought the flood warnings would just bring the normal road closings by the creeks and rivers.

            On the day of June 20^th, I was down at my parents’ house in Belgrade, Minnesota and found out about the Duluth flood from Facebook. My friends from Two Harbors, Minnesota wrote on my wall asking me to keep them updated on the zoo animals and first reaction was, “What happened with the flood last night?” I frantically began to search for news articles and what I found made my heart stop. The Lake Superior zoo had all, but one of their barnyard animals drowned, as well as, the Turkey vulture, the Raven and the Snowy Owl. One of the seals, Feisty, was found on Grand Ave near the zoo and the other seal and the Polar bear were found out of their exhibits, but within the zoo grounds. The zoo was closed to the public until the zoo grounds were safe for visitors. I felt the tears begin to come and I called my mom at work and informed her of the devastation from last night’s flood had brought to north eastern Minnesota.

            A week had passed and I returned to the Duluth area and immediately signed up the Flood Relief clean-up weekend at the zoo. Not only was it expected of me to help clean up the zoo because I am a Horticulture volunteer, but I felt I wanted to. The clean-up weekend was successful and helped the zoo out tremendously. On both Saturday and Sunday there were five hundred people there to help with the clean-up. The zoo also received donations from the public and from businesses. There were even businesses that donated from all over the state which really surprised me. Truly is great to be a part of and to witness how the community comes together in times of need.

            As a representative of the Lake Superior zoo, it was my duty to make sure to put a stop to any miss accusations being spread about the community and to also answer questions or concerns the public had. My supervisor kept us volunteers updated on the status of the zoo. The zoo did eventually open to the public and the support has continued to grow. The fundraising events for the flood relief have been successful and the zoo is starting to slowly come around with repairs and finances. The future of the Lake Superior zoo is starting to look brighter and will once again be a beautiful destination.

            Now I still can’t believe this disastrous event happened and I still think I’m going to wake up from a very bad dream. After everything that has happened, I feel privileged to have been a part of the whole experience and it helped me grow as a person. The Lake Superior zoo will always hold a special place in my heart.