Chest-high floodwaters didn’t stop this Minnesota dentist from seeing patients

On June 27, Royal Myers was scheduled to undergo major denture surgery by a specialist at the Waterville Dental Clinic.

The problem is that Waterville, in southern Minnesota, was submerged by devastating floods following torrential rains. The Northern Lights Dental Clinic was protected by a fortress of sandbags, but it was surrounded by floodwaters.

No problem, his dentist told him. Put on some rubber boots and he would “wait” (or “wade,” haha) for Myers near the Methodist church. Appreciating the pun, Myers drove to the clinic and parked across the street from the church.

“He stood there with chest-high waders, a canoe, and dragged me down the street for a block, a block and a half,” Myers said.

It’s true. His dentist, Dr. Bill Struve, 78, thought Myers’ appointment was so important that he carried him to his clinic by canoe, just as he had carried the specialist and the staffers who didn’t have waders. In some places, the floodwaters were above Struve’s waist as he waded down the street.

It was an act of kindness in a suddenly difficult world.

The two men are neighbors and friends. For decades, they have given each other a bottle of 35-year-old Gibson Muscatel wine. Struve estimates it was originally worth $5 and is probably spoiled by now. One year, he hid it in a cardboard box disguised as a cake, and Myers discovered it while trying to cut the cake. Another time, Struve bribed Myers’ son to hide it under his pillow.

Despite all that was happening, the canoe ride was not without humor. Struve admits he felt the urge to knock his friend over in the drink, but they arrived at his clinic without incident.

The clinic’s sandbags were about a foot above the floodwaters, Struve said. He put them down with help from neighbors, family and the husbands of his clinic employees. He used the canoe to float the sandbags into position, lending it to neighbors as needed.

His parking lot was underwater and there was some water in the crawl space below the clinic, but nothing a sump pump couldn’t handle. The water he uses for his patients is self-contained and sterilized, so there was no risk of contamination.

Even though his clinic is relatively unaffected, he wants to minimize what he dumps down the drain so as not to further burden the already beleaguered sewer system. So he has canceled most appointments, except for a few absolutely necessary visits, including Myers.

“It’s been 50 years since I first had to close my office,” Struve said this week.

Myers wants to make sure everyone knows that this wasn’t the only act of generosity during the Waterville floods. “I’m a small part of it all,” he said. “During this difficult time, thousands of hours of work were put in by volunteers, local businesses donated food, offered their homes as shelter, hauled sandbags for others, threw sandbags for those who couldn’t physically do it themselves, prayed with victims and the list goes on. It was incredible to see.”

Some examples: Anna Stoltz, a mother of three, volunteered to do laundry for those without running water because her own home was spared. By Tuesday morning, she estimated she had washed, dried and folded 20 to 25 loads of clothes for her neighbors. Hairstylist Abby Hughes gave free haircuts to flood victims. So many people sent toilet paper, soap, clothing and other supplies to First Baptist Church that it had to stop accepting donations.

In some ways, the devastation has its silver lining. Neighbors working side by side, helping each other, fighting a common threat. Struve said he had fun meeting people he might never have talked to. He loved seeing a local guy sitting in the floodwaters, drinking a beer. It was so Minnesota. Yeah, it’s gross, but hey, how about a cold beer? And for goodness sake, why not take your friend to his dentist appointment in a canoe?

After Myers’ appointment was over, Struve handed him a gift bag.

You already know what was inside: a bottle of 35-year-old Muscatel Gibson.