Living beside the river, the Laudals were hit hard. But he counts his family lucky. They had flood insurance and also qualified for a government buyout and a mortgage at below-market rates. Although the family lost many cherished mementos, the ordeal taught them to count their blessings. At Nora Lutheran, a pretty country congregation near Gardner, N.D., floodwater destroyed all the furnishings below grade but left a more severe problem.
Big cracks crisscross the concrete basement.
And that puts the church in a bind. Under flood-plain regulations, the church can't plan a basement in its new foundation. That means Nora's fellowship space must be replaced in a separate above-ground building. Members worry what impact an additional building would have on Nora's finances and its country-church aesthetics. The lake, which has no outlet, has risen some 20 feet since 1992 and there's no end in sight.