One year ago: Winter Storm Atlas

One year ago the Atlas blizzard hit. I was fortunate to be a part of extensive coverage of the devastating weather event in between helping gather and care for the living and laying the dead to rest. I am incredibly grateful for the coverage the storm got on agriculture news outlets, and for the opportunity to be a voice for myself, my friends and neighbors. I still find it hard to believe that one of my biggest successes as a journalist was the result of a blizzard, but I am thankful as well. God works in mysterious, wonderful ways. However, he also doesn't stop time, and we have had to stay on our toes to keep ahead the past year.
With that same mindset, I am also grateful for the surge of attention the storm is receiving on its one-year anniversary, but hope it is somewhat laid to rest after this anniversary. It's one of those things where you wish you didn't have to read anything else about it, but that you're simultaneously grateful for the support and desire and explain what has happened to those impacted by the storm.
With that said, here is an article I wrote in the days following the blizzard.
Here is a second link to a special edition I was honored to be a part of that details the storm, those affected and those who helped. It just came out this week in the tri-sate area (SD, WY, NE).
And, here is a thank-you piece circulating the web that states how those impacted by the storm feel a year later which does a wonderful job explaining everyone's mindset one year later.
I hope you take the time to read at least the first and last links, and they clearly show the changes that have occurred in our mentality over a year's time, as well as the impact everyone who helped us has had.
Below are photos from the days after the storm, many never before seen, of what we found, how we lived without electricity for nearly a week, and of the storm itself. While initially among the most heartbreaking and difficult experiences I have ever been through, over the past year the good Lord has turned this event into a truly amazing showcase of this love, grace and kindness poured out through those who believe in Him. Thank you to any and everyone who helped those impacted by Winter Storm Atlas in any way. It was so humbling and incredible to be on the receiving end, and the gifts people sent made all the difference in the world as we faced the storm's impacts over the long, bitterly cold winter that followed. We are forever changed for the better by your generosity and selflessness, and we are going to make it just fine. May God Bless you and American agriculture!

Gathering the living, and the electric pole that let them out of their pasture during the storm.

Trying to save a yearling heifer.

Our yearling heifers. The hardest site we came upon in our search.

How we kept our food cold without electricity for days following the storm.

How we cooked.

 How we ate while searching.

 

 

 

How we ate at night. Lasagna heated on a wood fire. I made a huge lasagna by chance (at God's silent urging) two days before the blizzard hit. It became our staple meal for nearly a week.

Trying to save a heifer buried alive in the snow. She was sitting on her rump, and was still a foot below the top of the drift when we found her.

 Taking pictures while searching.

 

 

 

 What the storm did to all our trees.

 

 



Highs and Lows

One month ago tomorrow is the day the Atlas blizzard began. While many have moved beyond it, those in my community continue to deal with it daily. It has been a bittersweet mix of highs and lows, and there is much to share with all of you.
First is my refreshed faith in humanity. I cannot believe the human kindness, outreach, concern, help and fortitude shown by people I know and have never met. Just today I am finishing an article for Tri-State Livestock News detailing the group Heifers for South Dakota's first donation of 20 head of bred cattle and 3 replacement-quality heifer calves to a young family who suffered a tremendous loss following the storm. This donation will likely be the tipping point that allows them to stay in the ranching business, and to hear the stories of all involved would warm anyone's heart.
There are also the ladies of my hometown, who are working to make Christmas baskets and get people to "adopt" impacted families to help them have a wonderful holiday season. They are meeting tonight to work out details and have been asking me daily for information to help them.
The random people who have emailed asking if I know a young person who lost a horse and would like a 4-H project, or who know of church groups looking to help or donate funds are another outstanding example of the true caliber of people and presence of God in rural America today.
I would also like to share that when the cards all fell, we were extremely blessed to not lose a single calf. Not only that, but they tipped the scales at 622 on sale day and brought an astounding price, knocking our recovery period down from a decade to (hopefully) closer to about five years.
However, the weight of those lost is still heavy on hearts. Everyone deals with such losses differently, and I seem to struggle daily with the loss of my husband and I's cattle, and especially my two cows.
One was the last calf of my first 4-H heifer, Sassy. I bought that 4-H heifer at 8-years-old from the family ranch, and my cow that died had over 100 years of Hamilton breeding behind her. Then there is the fact that her only daughter, and the last cow in that string of cattle, looks to be open. While I pray looks are deceiving in this case, I am also struggling to prepare myself to deal with what may be the end of the line of cows that started me in the business. I never imagined I would not have a cow that went back to Sassy, and now in the space of four months it appears that is not only a possibility, but likely a soon-to-be reality.
Trying to get caught up has been another constant struggle. Major weather events take time to recover from. There are still tree limbs to remove from fences, deceased cattle in one of our pastures too muddy to travel in, a lot of fence to fix, meetings to attend regarding the blizzard, paperwork and phone calls to make, all mixed in with the usual fall workload. While we're making headway, there is still so much to do that it can be overwhelming at times.
But, day after tomorrow marks my husband and I's four month anniversary. Yes, you count and celebrate months when your marriage starts out like ours has. And, while if we had it all to do over again we might have left my cows in Wyoming for the summer, other than that we are both so grateful to be married and have each other as we go through all these challenges.