Our view: Follow the Golden Rule as floodwaters rise

It won’t be long now before this aggravating winter is finally behind us.

The problem is, more trouble lies ahead – and it goes well beyond the inconveniences we face with snow and cold. What’s next for Washington County is the potential for major flooding.

This week’s front-page story on flood planning clearly illustrates the looming problem. According to the National Weather Service, there’s an 82 percent chance Highway 95 between Afton and Bayport will begin to experience St. Croix River floods and more than a 98 percent probability of residents experiencing basement flooding.

The NWS says there’s only an 18 percent chance of the St. Croix reaching record levels at Stillwater, but it won’t take record levels for flooding to have a dramatic impact on residents and businesses in Washington County.

All of this adds up to one thing: our neighbors in Afton and around the county are going to need a lot of help. Afton city officials have already said they will be relying heavily on volunteers in coming weeks.

This presents an opportunity for community members to come together for neighbors in need. You can start now.

Beginning today, Community Thread – an organization contracted by the county for volunteer efforts – is putting volunteers to work. The organization is seeking volunteers no younger than 12 for sandbagging help on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Efforts will continue next week.

Before you jump in your vehicle, be sure to call ahead so organizers can assign you for the right shift. You can volunteer by calling 651-439-7434 or by visiting communitythreadmn.org, which includes a link for flood volunteering.

Now isn’t the time for us to sit on our hands or sink into our sofas while our neighbors scratch and claw to keep their homes dry. Especially not if we can do something about it. We would certainly expect the same if the shoe was on the other foot.

Tags: our view, opinion, updates