Jachob Wiedeburg, a 2015 Sidney High School graduate who’s in his final year at UNK, was one of thousands of people affected by the recent flooding in Kearney. But after initially feeling frustrated and sad about his bedroom basement filling with dirty water, ruining many of his possessions, he was able to feel blessed for what he did have and for being able to join many others in helping a hurting community.
JEFF FIELDER Editor
SIDNEY – Jachob Wiedeburg was at a friend’s house Monday evening, July 8, when he looked out a window and saw the rain coming down heavily.
“I remember thinking, ‘Wow, that’s quite a bit of rain,’” he said. “I didn’t think it would cause any problems, though.”
Wiedeburg, a 2015 Sidney High School graduate who is preparing for his final semester at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, spent the night at his friend’s house because they were going to wake up the next morning and go for a run. Wiedeburg was a talented runner for both Sidney High School and UNK, and he’s now a student assistant coach for the Loper runners.
When Wiedeburg went to bed around midnight, the rain was still coming down hard. He didn’t worry, though, about flooding.
“I thought I might be running on some wet streets the next morning – maybe go through a few puddles – but that was about it,” he said.
When Wiedeburg woke up the next morning at about 6:30, he noticed he had received three voicemails in the middle of the night. They were from his roommates, who shared a house with Wiedeburg on the northeast side of Kearney.
The roommates had been trying to reach Wiedeburg to let him know that his room at their house – in the basement – was flooded with about 3 inches of water and that he better come home soon.
“My heart just kind of sank when I heard those messages,” he said.
The full story is in the July issue of Nspire Today! magazine. A one-year subscription (12 issues) is only $15. You may sign up for a subscription by sending $15 to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363, or you may pay with a credit card by calling 308-220-8865. If you would like to increase your subscription to $20, Nspire Today! will donate the extra $5 in August to the local DOVES program.
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