Natural disasters have a way of bringing together communities even as they tear the physical community to pieces. Take for example the current floods in Minot, ND – population: 40,000. When the Souris River rose to record levels earlier this week, it submerged a significant portion of the city, forcing about a quarter of the population to evacuate.

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And the swift-moving waters caused considerable damage to Minot's infrastructure: closing roads, interrupting power and, perhaps most dire at the present time, contaminating the water supply.

"As soon as we heard the water was contaminated, we knew we had to do something," says Denise Mayer, president of Mayer Electric, a Minot-based electrical contractor. Mayer reached out to its vendor, Border States Electric, No. 8 on the top electrical distributors list, for help in providing clean drinking water to the community. Border States agreed.

"We already had water on hand at our Minot branch for customers and employees, and so we sent a pallet over to Mayer's location," says Shelley Anderson, communications specialist at Border States. And the Fargo-based distributor is sending materials daily to help meet its customers' – primarily utilities and contractors – needs and help keep power flowing throughout the city.

While the physical locations of both companies stayed dry – Mayer is just a block and a half away from the flood area – they understand the need for assistance will continue long after the water recedes. And both will be looking for ways to continue helping impacted employees, as well as the broader community.

From the floods along the Missouri River to the tornadoes in the South, natural disasters are battering the U.S. this year. How has your company been impacted or responded to the community needs? Share your comments below or join the conversation on LinkedIn.