Some Tommies and their families now face a monumental cleanup effort after torrential rain on June 20 flooded homes and destroyed roads.

Victims and those who escaped nature’s wrath are joining in the gigantic task.

Senior Ryan Streitz, whose family home is dry, doesn’t have to look far for damage.

“My neighbors were knee-high. There was water in their basement,” Streitz said. “Also, a friend of mine, a half a mile from my house, had his whole street torn up.”

Streitz said even though the damage is overwhelming, he still wants to help as much as he can.

“I’m going to be working with some clean-up groups and volunteer groups to help with the minimal structural things,” Streitz said. “I know the parks need a lot of help. I’m hoping to be apart of that effort. A lot of the stuff is way over our heads though.”

However, sophomore Danny Letourneau’s home was affected.

“It wrecked my yard pretty bad and ripped it up,” Letourneau said. “My parent’s office got filled with water. They have to tear up the carpet and remodel.”

Duluth Mayor Don Ness encouraged people to stay home because of the amount of standing and rushing water during the storm, but that didn’t stop Letourneau and his friends.

“Me and my friends were driving around,” Letourneau said. “At one point, I was on a street and there was a little dip, and the water went past the lights on my truck. I thought it was cool but kind of scary at the same time.”

Despite all the damage, junior Sarah Spangenberg said, “It’s really incredible that nobody was killed.

“I think that a lot of people who live in Duluth that I talked to, there is an attitude of gratefulness because noone was hurt, or killed, and all the damage that was done was to material possessions.”

Physical property may be lost, but Letourneau said that he hopes his community will heal.

“Duluth is a pretty strong community,” Letourneau said. “We are on the mend. We were shaken, but we will rise again.”

Hannah Anderson can be reached at ande5385@stthomas.edu.