CMU Students help sandbag

Students and staff from Canadian Mennonite University came by bus and van to the aid of homeowner  Ms. C. in south Winnipeg today. A group of 50 worked for several hours placing 5000 sandbags, forming a ring dike 16 inches high surrounding the house. The temperature hovered around freezing and the ground was covered with snow, ice, and mud, but these factors didn't keep the group from working hard and finishing the job. Ms. C. was extremely grateful for the help and found the students a delight to have on her property.  She and her neighbors provided Starbucks coffee and an assortment of many chocolate and sugar snacks to keep everyone going.  Everyone commented more than once how much can be done in a short while when so many hands are there to help.

CMU student council president Zach Peters put out a school-wide plea for help and was excited with the response. Lois Nickel of Mennonite Disaster Service coordinated the group with her contact at the city of Winnipeg to direct them to one of the homes that most needed the help this particular afternoon.  Five students from the new Disaster, Vulnerability, and Recovery course (taught by Nickel) were present and were able to put their new disaster response and preparedness knowledge into practice.  Many of the other students that participated had been on at least one of the CMU Reading Week MDS service trips of the past 4 years. One student described the fun as being a "mini MDS reunion". 

Winnipeg and southern Manitoba along the Red River continue with flood preparation this weekend. Ice jams, the river cresting, and snow melt are all threatening to arrive by mid-week.  MDS continues to take names of volunteers and direct them to properties as they learn of needs.