This past week the midwest was hit hard by wind storms. Wind you ask? Yes, wind. No tornadoes. Not flash floods. Wind. The type of wind storms we were hit with has an official name – “derecho” which means an intense, widespread rapidly moving wind storm, sometimes accompanied by thunderstorms. The wind speeds in a derecho rival those of a tornado or of a hurricane. At my house we had winds of 70+ mph, but as this storm continued east towards Iowa, they had wind speeds reported over 100 mph. For others that have been impacted, I am definitely sending my best wishes as you continue to dig out from under the devastation. It is unimaginable.
What is imaginable though is the sense of community. It has been heartwarming to watch neighborhoods come together to clear debris and to see neighbors helping neighbors with tools and trucks and chainsaws. Sure, in many instances we had to wait for the city power company to come and do their part, but nobody just sat back, watched and waited. People pitched in and got to work. It was laborious and dirty; hot and sticky; and, in no way pleasant. But it was done with the end result in mind.
For the last six months we have all been trying to figure out how to move forward as COVID-19 wreaks havoc around the world. Just like so many of you, Mandt has had to find creative solutions for our work. We have tried new things and worked collaboratively with you, our customers, with the end result in mind. We want to create environments for people to live, learn, work, and play while feeling safe. It’s not always easy, but it is always worth it.
We’d love to hear from you about creative things you are doing to keep the people you serve as safe as possible. How has the training you offer varied in the post-COVID-19 world? Feel free to reach out to any of us at Mandt to discuss how training can still be offered. We are here to help. Like a friendly neighbor with a good chainsaw 🙂
Take care of one another!
Nikki Wince – Mandt Faculty Supervisor
