OTTUMWA — How do you comfort those who have lost so much?

This past week has been devastating to the thousands of Iowans impacted by the rising flood waters.

From Cedar Rapids to Des Moines, from Iowa City/Coralville to Waterloo/Cedar Falls and from Oskaloosa down to Van Buren County, the water has been a source of great pain and hardship.

My hometown of Vinton, located on the Cedar River, was flooded up to Main Street. The law enforcement center and fire department was under water and the city without power for days.

But during difficult times, Iowans are the ones who know how to pull together.

Sandbaggers of all ages have blanketed the area. Even former Gov. Tom Vilsack was in Eddyville Saturday doing his part. And members of the 833rd, just home from Iraq, were out in force throughout Ottumwa and the area when the river began to rise.

We traveled to Eldon and Keosauqua and saw firsthand the work that was going into protecting those communities, sometimes with great success.

And it shouldn’t be a surprise that the city of Ottumwa was truly prepared following the 1993 floods and last August’s water system failure.

So while there has been some positive news to come from this week’s water woes, there remains a lot of work and care that must be provided to those who lost everything to Mother Nature’s wrath.

It’s not enough to just house a few people at a Red Cross shelter and then let them go back after the waters have receded.

And as this week has shown, Iowans look out for each other. Folks on the west and east ends of Ottumwa and those who live along the Des Moines River must be shown we’re here to help.

Make a donation, prepare a meal, help a neighbor pump water out from his basement.

Today’s headlines will soon disappear, the national news media will move from Iowa to the next disaster and the folks at the Weather Channel will focus on the next weather crisis. But Iowans are resolute and we won’t forget those who are in need now.

For those of us not impacted by the flood waters, say a prayer tonight for those who were.

Like the old song says: “When I’m worried and I can’t sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep, And I fall asleep counting my blessings.”