DEWITT, Neb. (AP) — Volunteers have helped DeWitt homeowners build up flood protection and bolster the foundations of their homes.

During the Dirt Day event earlier this week, truckloads of dirt were spread around the foundations of 19 homes in the southeast Nebraska community of around 500 people. The homes had lost soil from around their foundations in May 2015, when Turkey Creek and the Big Blue River overflowed their banks. Many house basements in town filled with up to a foot of water.

The DeWitt Area Recovery Team organized volunteers from the Southeast Community College Ag Club to spread dirt provided by an anonymous donor. The dirt was packed down and sloped away from the foundations so rainwater runs off and doesn’t seep down and collect next to foundations, which can leak.