While the Moapa Valley area attempts to regain a sense of normalcy, I’d like to extend a huge thank you to some people who were instrumental in making our Moapa students feel comfortable and and who played a big role in getting them back to their families.
First and foremost, thank you Manager Darin of Lin’s Marketplace. You have always been supportive of the valley and responsive to our needs, but you really impressed us when I showed up at you doorstep on Monday afternoon to get some food for our stranded Moapa students. You did not hesitate to help us out. What’s even more amazing is that you and your staff provided a hearty chicken dinner without even batting an eye. Thank you so much for the generous donation of food. The kids and adults thoroughly enjoyed your quality food items immensely!
Second, thank you to Shawna Jessen who, despite trying to wrangle nearly 600 elementary school children into buses while the power was out, managed to provide our students with a safe place to literally camp out while providing snacks, humor, and entertainment. Seeing you in action was pretty amazing.
Ken Paul, Hal Mortensen and Shelley Jones: with every decision you made you had the students’ best interest at heart. Having families of your own to worry about, you were able to ensure that our students’ needs were met. Thanks for your sacrifice and serving hearts.
John Stastny, thanks for opening up the fairgrounds and managing to get us some power. The kids had a great time playing and bonding. You and your children were so helpful in providing some much needed distractions and entertainment.
To Overton Power, what an amazing feat to overcome! You all managed to provided sustained power Monday evening. We were told we would have rolling black outs but obviously that was not the case. How grateful we were/are to have power! With all that you had to deal with, this was probably a huge undertaking. Please know that we appreciate your services very much!
To local NHP Metro officers and Fire Department personnel, when it comes to kids you have the biggest hearts. I just love our first responders and have great respect for you. Thanks for keeping things under control. Not once did we feel panicked. I know it can be a very thankless and rough job, but just know that you are not only loved, but you are highly respected and revered in my books.
NDOT, I do not know anyone personally but they have done an awesome job assessing the road conditions and making sure that construction crews were provided with efficient plans to get us up and running as quickly as possible.
Lastly, to our community…no words can fully express the gratitude I feel for your overwhelming generosity. We had several families randomly check in on the students at the fairgrounds and offer to step in and assist with just about anything. When people were in distress you wasted no time in responding to get people the help they needed.
We live in a great place. I hope that you all take a moment to thank someone for his/her services. This recovery effort does not and will not come easily. United we shall overcome. My heart goes out to the families affected by the flood. I am encouraged by your outstanding attitudes and outlook on this terrible situation. Your bravery to face the challenges you are up against is inspiring and heartwarming. Thanks for being great citizens of the Moapa Valley area.
Justine Crawford
Mack Lyon Teacher
