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KCSG's Tamara LeeIt's hard to imagine that a year ago this week, many parts of Southern Utah were under water. As the flood waters jumped the river banks, many homes and businesses were destroyed.
Bob Duffin, Creekside Resident: "I was confident I lived far enough away from the river."
Glenna Sanderson, Riverwood Resident: "The police came and said, 'the house is starting to crack. You have 30 minutes to evacuate.'"
What a difference a year makes. A year ago Mother Nature unleashed her fury on southern Utah. When it was over a life was taken, nearly 20 homes fell into the river and a community was left in a state of emergency. It was the week of January 11th.
Record flood waters along the Santa Clara river swept away dozens of homes and washed out bridges. In the end about 100 families were left without homes. Because of the private sector and community support, the victims of the flood of southern Utah have recovered much faster and the process has been much more proficient than it could have been.
Dave Watson, Chairman of Virgin River Santa Clara Flood Relief: "It wasn't the greatest disaster we've ever seen, but it was ours and we took care of it on our own."
Eighty-four year old Glenna Sanderson lived in the Riverwood community for about a year before she lost her home to the river. She, along with other victims, was able to re-build her home in another location.
Bob Duffin and six of his neighbors lost their homes in the Creekside neighborhood. While most of his neighbors have moved out of the area, Bob has since moved to another home at Creekside, where he has been since September.
Bob Duffin, Creekside Resident: "I received a considerable amount of money from organizers to rebuild."
All this was made possible by the Virgin River Santa Clara flood relief. An outpouring of support from the community made it possible for the group to raise enough money for victims to re-build their homes.
For Glenna Sanderson the last year has been especially tough, but it's nothing, she says, she can't handle.
Glenna Sanderson: "After losing my husband of 62 years, losing things just doesn't seem that important."
The Small Business Administration made some low interest loans to some people who lost their homes.
