Residents Rebuild Homes, Community: Pueblo Chieftain

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The Pueblo Chieftain Online I Friday wysiwyg: //43 /http: / /www. chieftain. com /monday /news /display.php3 ?article =8 flooded each summer from storm runoff. While things look better in North La Junta, there's still a lot of work to do, Commissioner Klein said. The county has tried to get the river dredged near North La Junta, arguing that the river's sediment - filled bed isn't letting water drain properly. The county has forged a deal with a local gravel company to dredge a portion of the riverbed a short distance east of the community. "It's a work in progress," Klein said of post -flood North La Junta. "It's probably going to be two years before somebody can say, 'Wow, look at what they've done over there!' " Richard Lantz knows all about the hard work part. He's been repairing the inside of his flood- damaged home for some time and still has a month to go before he and his wife, Conda, can move back in. In the meantime, they live in a camper parked in the side yard. The couple have gutted their home, which also was raised on jacks and placed on a much higher foundation. The house has new wiring and plumbing, is getting new interiors and a remodeled kitchen. "It's going to be a brand new house except for the shell," Mrs. Lantz said. A lot of the demolition work and some of the construction work was done with help from the Mennonites, a religious order that brought in teams of workers from around the country. The teams arrived soon after the flood to help flood victims throw out their ruined belongings, tear out the soaked walls and pull up the buckled floors. Now the teams have come back to frame walls, install new drywall and do whatever else flood victims need to get back home. Publicity -shy, the order has declined to be the subject of any good- Samaritan story, but flood victims sing the Mennonites' praises to anyone who will listen. "They sheet - rocked three houses in one day," Mr. Lantz said reverently. "It's amazing what they did." If there's anything positive about the flood, it would be the helping spirit it engendered, several folks said. Brisendine said she has received a lot of help from family members and friends. Some people just came and picked up loads of her flood - dirtied laundry and washed it, eager to do something to help. "I found out that I have a lot of great friends," she said. "It's really brought them together again," Klein said of the 3 of 5 5/5/00 4:25 PM