09/02/2026
A COMMUNITY OF GRATITUDE — OUR RESIDENTS
Today’s thank-you is for the heart of Crooksville—our residents.
Many of you lost more than most people can imagine. Homes were lost, vehicles were destroyed, and years of belongings and memories were gone in a matter of hours. Some of you are still trying to figure out where to live, how to rebuild and what comes next.
Yet, in the middle of your own heartbreak, you still showed up for someone else.
You checked on your neighbors. You shared food, water and supplies. You opened your homes, made donations, helped clean up, hauled away debris and offered rides. You gave your time when you were already exhausted. You listened to one another, cried together and became support systems for people who simply needed someone beside them.
What stands out to me most is how much of this happened quietly. It wasn’t done for Facebook likes, posts, attention, to gain followers or clout. There were no cameras and no expectation of recognition. People helped because they genuinely cared about their neighbors and their community. It was simply people helping people because that is what neighbors do.
I know this has been frustrating, exhausting and heartbreaking. I know there are residents who still don’t have answers and families who have a long road ahead of them. Recovery does not happen overnight, and the true weight of what our community has been through is still settling in.
But through all of it, you have shown an unbelievable amount of strength, patience, and compassion—not only for your own families, but for one another.
The flood damaged homes, roads, vehicles and so much more, but it did not take away the heart of this community. If anything, it showed everyone just how strong that heart really is.
To every Crooksville resident who helped a neighbor, shared what they had, asked for help when they needed it or simply kept going through another difficult day: thank you.
You are the reason Crooksville will recover. You are what makes this more than a place on a map.
You are what makes Crooksville home.