NEPHI, Utah — What started with a pancake breakfast in Nephi has grown into a much larger effort to help Beaver residents recover from flooding that followed the Cottonwood Fire.
Cathy Adams, a member of the Nephi Lions Club, said she saw the devastation in Beaver and wanted to do something to help.
She and other Lions organized a pancake breakfast and raised $436 for people impacted by the fire.
But the Lions' effort didn't stop there.
When flooding hit Beaver, Lions Clubs International was able to provide an emergency grant because the flooding qualified as a natural disaster.
The organization awarded the Beaver effort the full $15,000 grant.
Michelle Wilson, a Lions district governor, said the money is being used for supplies and equipment needed during the long cleanup process including shovels, disinfectant, buckets and equipment rentals.
“People think about a flood and it's all gonna be cleaned up in a week or two and it takes months,” Wilson said.
The Lions also began putting their own volunteers to work Saturday.
The first work group started cleaning and disinfecting a Beaver home where mud had already been removed. Volunteers will also help remove damaged sheetrock.
Wilson said Lions clubs from communities surrounding Beaver plan to send work groups on a weekly basis.
For Adams, the effort is about making sure Beaver residents know they aren't facing the recovery alone.
“I just hope that they know that there's not just their community willing to step up and help,” Adams said. “It's communities all over Utah.”
The Lions' response comes as Beaver continues a long recovery from the Cottonwood Fire and subsequent flooding. State and federal officials recently announced an multi-million dollar recovery agreement for Beaver and Piute counties, with funding aimed at addressing wildfire and flood damage and stabilizing the affected areas.
But for the Lions, the response is also about showing up.
“She saw a need and filled it,” Wilson said of Adams. “That's what we do as Lions. We serve.”
If you'd like to find out more about the Lions Club and local chapter in your area, you can do so at lionsclubinternational.org.
