Over Spring Break a group of 30 students and faculty from the University of Redlands formed the Spring Break Plunge group of 2014 and set off to Colorado to help those effected by the flood that occurred in 2013. There was very little information going into the trip about what exactly we would be doing and what exactly the damage was like. There had been very little media attention that anyone in the group could recall having seen during the actual time of the flood and debatably there was skepticism about what real “disaster relief” there was to be done. Early mornings and late nights of hard physical labor characterized our day to day experiences and we were tired and sore but the people that we met were so thankful for all that we were doing, that it never felt like too much. The damage was very real. It was humbling to see the true force that something as overlooked as water can have. Entire homes, roads, concrete, sides of mountains, plumbing, electrical setups, etc. were all destroyed by the flood. Peoples entire lives were uprooted and changed. People went from having homes and neighborhoods and business to having nothing. We have been discussing in class how homelessness and poverty can happen to anyone given the right circumstances. This flood proved that to me in a way that really gave a visual understanding of how temporary financial stability and stability in general can be. It was heartbreaking to see how overwhelmed and lost some of the people looked. They were having to deal with so much at a time where nature was still not necessarily working with them.

After the flood it snowed and the temperatures kept dropping which made everything freeze. This made it exceedingly more difficult to try and sort of clean any sort of debris. It required the we have to break through layers of ice before we could even really make any progress. However every time anything was accomplished we were able to see a change in the people of the towns and business that were were working with. We could see their hopes lift and we could see them begin to feel less defeated and more empowered to get their homes and lives back. The church we stayed at also welcomed us all with open arms and were very accommodating and embracing even though very few of us identified through religion. It was truly incredible to be so well received and appreciated by total strangers. It was even more incredible how quickly those strangers became our temporary families and friends.

As our time continued we hear more crazy stories about the flood and were able to really get to do some incredible work. Small things started to make huge differences and we began to appreciate the work that we were able to bring to the table. It was incredible to help the people of Colorado in any way that we could and it was incredible to get to know Colorado through the resilience of its people. I have an entirely new understanding of hunger and homelessness in regards to natural disasters and in regards to community. The people in the towns and business’ helped each other and bonded over their misfortune. They let us into their lives and made us feel appreciated and helpful in ways that I have never felt before. It was a once in a lifetime experience and truly changed my understanding of human potential and community.