MCCOOK LAKE, S.D. (KELO) – It’s been ten months since a devastating flood swept through McCook Lake, wiping out houses and upending lives. Drive through the southeast South Dakota neighborhood today, and you’ll see the impact is far from over.
The dirt, debris and damage make it feel like the flooding happened yesterday. The emotional toll hasn’t faded either.
“It’s just a lot,” resident Deanna Jacobs said. “Just a lot.”
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Deanna and her husband Tom moved to the neighborhood when they retired. Now, the only things left are their garage and Deanna’s flower beds.
“We left here thinking we were on easy street, and then we came back to nothing. Water rushing and this house that’s tilted,” Deanna said. “We kind of worked all our lives to get to where we’re at, and in a couple of hours, it disappeared.”
The Jacobs have lived in the area for about 15 years, and to see so much of it get washed away in one night was devastating. They hope they can rebuild their home.
Numerous families in a similar situation feel the same. It’s caught the attention of those who want to lend a hand in any possible way.
Nick Haugen and his crew at Haugen Incorporated are donating dirt to help fill the foundations of several homes, including the Jacobs’.
“We’re filling in this backyard or trying to give them a little bit more of a backyard than what was here at least,” Haugen said. “The dirt’s close by, so we’re loading it up over here and spreading it out.”
Haugen, nearly a total stranger to the Jacobs, said he hopes more people will volunteer their time in the area.
The generosity is restoring more than just land. Little by little, it’s rebuilding hope.
“It’s strangers. It’s people from other towns, others that are coming to try to get some recognition for us,” Deanna said. “It’s just, it’s been a long process. Every day, one more emotional day.”
The McCook Lake Izaak Walton League is a nonprofit within the community that also helps residents with the flood recovery.
Later this month, the South Dakota Supreme Court will hear an appeal on the McCook Lake recreational area petition.
