Flood Report #7 3/28/09 10:54 PM

The last couple of days continue to bring observations that range from terrible to wondrous.

First the terrible, which is really just a few, but my ranting will go on and on.

We are dealing with national and international media and at times it is quite frustrating. One headline had "thousands fleeing homes" which is probably numerically accurate, but very deceptive. Another story floated that Main Avenue in Fargo was flooding. It wasn't, they just closed part of it to shore up a dirt dike to be better able to withstand the pressure of high water over several days. If you want better, quality of news I suggest the local paper (http://www.inforum.com/) and our biggest local AM station, the Mighty 790 KFGO.

Another terrible time came when Oak Grove Lutheran School had part of its permanent flood wall give way on the bottom and began to fill school buildings. For those of us here in 1997 the entire Oak Grove neighborhood was overwhelmed and this news in the middle of the night sounded like the first big loss in Fargo. By afternoon, however, the story had changed. The Fargo Public Works Director figured a way to use 1 ton sandbags dropped by Blackhawk helicopters to shore up the wall on the river side. The blackhawks dropped 11 bags and were flying right over my neighborhood. This effort plus lots of help pumping and cleaning has meant that as of us this writing I know of only one Oak Grove Lutheran building that still has water. The rest of the neighborhood is protected by dirt dike on the accurately named Short Street. Twelve years after I personally watched a river overwhelm the neighborhood, this time the river has been beat back and, so far, the damage has been as small as possible.

The last terrible is the weather forecast. We have another 8-12 inch snow storm starting tomorrow and going through Tuesday. It's already started in Jamestown and points west and it is headed our way. Initially it was forecast to be more heavy along the N. Dakota/S. Dakota border. Not now. Now we get our 4th major storm in 4 weeks and the 3rd snow storm. This one may also feature 30 mph winds on Tuesday. This is not as scary as it sounds as far as the flood. The snow will be wet, but it won't be putting much of that moisture into the river system until it melts. That looks like it won't start much before the weekend. That will give more time for the river to get lower and be able to take the water more easily. The problem will be how much it interferes with the current dikes and getting where needed to fight any problems with the dikes. In my neighborhood it also just makes it hard to get down the street. We are not a main street and the plowing only exists right now where it is really necessary. After the last storm I did a bit of the street near my driveway. I'm considering calling or emailing local radio to suggest those with big snowblowers on such streets do some of the same to alleviate things. I'll let you know who it goes. The wind could be troublesome. We may see whitecaps on the river.

There is also one oddity that I can't quite figure out. At this morning's press conference Fargo's mayor, Dennis Walaker, said he had been getting pressure from government officials "higher up" to evacuate Fargo. This statement came just about 36 hours after the ND DOT closed off the interstates in a way you would do if you were expecting to have all 4 lanes head in one direction during a mass evacuation. No such evacuation was on and it has not been clarified why the folks running North Dakota's highways from Bismarck decided to do that. I really want to know who the mayor was getting pressure from and why they were thinking that way. He's probably too nice a guy to say. Me, I'd face them down front and center. I can tell you that if you ordered an evacuation of Fargo today most of us wouldn't leave. We'd be asking "why do you want to surrender now?" On both sides of the river, the people take great pride in their insistence on taking what nature throws at them. Rude gestures would be the common response from the locals to evacuation.

This brings me once again to the big beautiful part of this natural (though poor development planning enhanced) disaster. 1997 was the first winter/spring I lived up here. I began to really fall for the place seeing how they pitched together during the flood. Twelve years later it is on again and once again the reaction is overwhelming glorious. I volunteer at the phone center that takes calls of people looking to volunteer. Last night we were repeatedly answering calls from folks who were anxious to do more. It was Saturday night and what they wanted to do was help others. Today, in order to stockpile sandbags, the city re-opened the Fargodome manual sandbagging effort. Plus, radio stations have been directing folks to small towns that have needed help. Tomorrow, Moorhead is going to be stockpiling sandbags. The citzenry doesn't want to turn the job over to the police, firefighters, public works, national guard and smaller numbers of volunteers. There is still a deep desire to be involved.

The river crested yesterday at just under 41 feet. We've are in a slow downward slope so that we are now down around the crest level of 1997. Given the snow, wind and length of time it will take to lower the river further, we all know we aren't done yet. I'll be spending part of my evenings at the call center ("Flood Central") each evening this week until they tell me to stay home. I've got to do my small part where I can.

Thanks for all your thoughts, prayers, contributions to relief (http://www.impactgiveback.org/general/index.aspx), wizard spells and everything else. My view is that the prayers have been answered by people responding in ways that truly follow the teachings I learned in Sunday School. Love your neighbor and do unto others as you would have them do unto you have come to life in thousands of ways in the Red River Valley over the last couple of weeks. I've even heard that the local criminal element has been taking time off. Perhaps they are filling sandbags, too.

Flood Report #6 3/26/09 11:40 PM

Today was mostly bad. The city traffic was a mess as getting to Moorhead and back became like a Southern California commute. Traffic in each town was equally miserable in many places. The NWS raised the crest prediction to 42 feet. Evacuations are occurring in both Moorhead and Fargo. Even one of the hospitals is moving patients as a precautionary measure, though the hospital is staying open. A Coast Guard helicopter had to evacuate people from poorly placed Briarwood, ND. Concordia College is closed for at least ten days and is sending students away so they can shut off the water and sewer. Oh yeah, once the river crests it may stay that high from 3 - 7 days.

Government, contractors and volunteers continue to do remarkable work, but the water isn't cooperating. The big hope right now is that the cold temps will slow down the water and make the crest prediction too high. However, the cities aren't counting on that and that is the only thing to do. Places that are the most vulnerable along the river are being evacuated. Moorhead High School is now a Red Cross shelter. I'm not sure where the shelters will be for Fargo. I offered my room to people I know in the evacuation zone in Moorhead, but they already had a reservation at a hotel.

My house and neighborhood is an oasis amongst all this. There is an earthen dike a couple of blocks from here towards the river, but no one in my immediate neighborhood has any need to build sandbag dikes. Because of this, I've also offered my house as a place to come for a rest away from it all, but the problem is being able to get here. Tomorrow the city is blocking off major artery roads to sandbagging operation trucks, etc. only. They are doing this to avoid the delays they had today. I've not heard this in Moorhead, but I wouldn't be surprised if they do something similar where needed.

I did venture out a bit today due to a need to run some errands. I stuck to streets that weren't overwhelmed and drove through the unplowed side streets as much as possible. I'm now holed up at home until I'm due to volunteer at the call center ("Flood Central") on Saturday night. I think I've plotted a way to get there since the normal way won't be available to me. I'll do my best.

The tunnel vision of flood watching was only broken by good news on my stepmom's hip replacement (Yeah, Virginia!) and the unexpected victory by the Missouri Tiger basketball team. Otherwise all my focus is within this part of the Red River Valley.

I still find facebook a great tool. I can post news. I can talk to folks in the area. I can even talk to friends far away.

So tomorrow will be more of the same. Following news online, on the radio (KFGO is the place to listen) and on the local TV news. Occasionally I will notice that other TV and radio channels continue in a parallel universe where petty partisan squabbles are overblown, basketball rules, and reality TV and bad sitcoms continue. I will try to do a little work that I have here with me, but it is very hard to focus on that right now. MSUM hired a new dean for my college today and I'm not sure anyone noticed. I assume she's been informed she got the job, but I suspect she went right back to fighting the flood.

I sign off by giving you the knowledge that the next official recording of the river level will be over 40 feet. The 11:15 pm measure was 39.92 feet.

Flood Report #5 3/25/09 2:52 PM

MSUM is now shut down until Monday. With another foot of dike building to do (that's another 500,000 sandbags in Fargo alone), there was no other choice. My Friday meetings better be canceled too.

I've realized that a year ago my cancer killing fight had started. Dr. Tim Mahoney is my surgeon. I've known Tim for years and he operated on me on 3/20/08. Now he is dedicating his organizational skills to the city as his duty as a city commissioner. He is all over town overseeing dike building efforts. When I see him on TV he looks very tired. God bless you Tim. You doing a great job for the city, just like you did for me.

I've have found facebook.com a real lifesaver today. Since I'm a germ carrier and am keeping myself away from healthy volunteers, facebook is how I communicate and voice some news, encouragement and vent frustration. It has really been helpful.

Flood Report #4 3/25/09 1 PM


New crest prediction is out and it is scary. The NWS now says the crest will be sometime Saturday at 41 feet. That is about 1 1/2 feet over what the crest was in 1997. May they be predicting on the high side, especially since the prediction says it will stay for 2/3 days.

Odd thought in my head with that...Well, we are more likely to see Pres. Obama now.

Flood Report #3 3/24/09 5:08 PM

I have lots of thoughts in my mind right now. This is likely to be stream of consciousness positng. Let me just get some of these out.

Youth is once again being served. As in 1997, it is college students, high school students and some even younger who are the labor force for the effort. Campuses were closed again today so they could be put to work and students from public and private high schools locally and from the region are also working. At one point today in Fargo they had too many volunteers. Gloria hallelujah for such problems. Students are coming from Grand Forks and other places from the region and from far away. They are making this fast work and the 24 hour filling of sandbags possible. Last night both the shoveling of sand on the Fargodome floor and the 3 machines at "Sandbag Central" went all night and in 24 hours they filled over 450,000 sandbags. They aim to do it again tonight.

The weather gave us a break today. The rain stayed away and lots of building got done. It was around 50 as the high and that helped so much. Tomorrow will be colder as a snowstorm starting late tonight is expected to give us 1-3 inches of snow. As long as this snow isn't too wet, this won't be too bad. Trucks hauling sandbags may have to be driving more slowly to prevent accidents. Plus, the cooler weather may have helped in the change in the crest prediction. That prediction is now for between 39 - 41 ft. but not until Sunday which is two days later than the previous prediction. That means there is more time to work. The cooler weather will also mean the crest may last awhile so managing dikes will go well into next week.

The bad surprises today were away from here. In both Bismarck, ND and Crookston, MN evacuations were needed after ice jams caused sudden flooding. We worry about those here, but mostly in tributary rivers. It is the Sheyenne River and the Wild Rice River and what they bring to the Red River that worries us most right now.

When I teach civic responsibility, so much focus goes into being a part of the political system. Truth is, I should teach days like this. It is a citizen volunteer force together with local, state and federal government that is key to this. If citizens had no afinity for there community or felt no responsibility to their fellow citizens, it would not be possible. It is this force of these individuals serving the common good together with dedicated elected officials and unelected bureaucrats that will make success possible.

I am getting increasingly irritated with stories on the radio of gawkers driving near work sites and other drivers ignoring police lights leading trucks with sand and sandbags where they need to go. I'm leaning toward the sherrifs' attitude of instant arrest and assignment to sandbagging. If they aren't able to do that, conviscate their cars so they can't do it again. They can have them back after the flood emergency is over. Free riders who sees this as a chance for entertaining sightseeing are not to be tolerated.

We are on NBC news right now. A news guy stands in front of a group hauling bags to build a dike. I wonder as he finishes, if they harass him and his camera guy to get to work.

I have noticed that my world has gotten a lot smaller in the last several days. I'm barely reading all the political and other news I usually pour over. I've ignored most of the NCAA basketball tournament games on TV, even the Tigers' extremely close game on Saturday. I was at the call center and used my marvelous Blackberry Storm to track the score when things slowed down. Baseball season starts in a couple of weeks. The Chiefs will be drafting new players soon. The political world is in a storm over AIG bonuses and the Obama Administration's plan to get credit moving again. I find all that as distractions and breaks from the intensity of the flood fight. Getting back to classes again, perhaps on Thursday, will be somewhat of a break.

This is very intense and I feel an powerful need to do what I can. For me and my bad back, answering phones is my contribution. I figured out last night as I left "Flood Central" that I had done 20 hours over 4 days. It made me feel good. Today, however, I also sense that it has probably led me to catch a cold. Too many hands touching the same phones. Germs love that. I'm only scheduled for two hours late tonight. I'll call ahead of time and see how much I'm needed. If I can stay home I will and hope to pitch in tomorrow.

For now I watch the glorious news of people living up to one of my favorite lines about the human race from a 1980's scifi movie. An alien states, "You are at your best when things are at their worst."

Flood Report #2 3/23/09 2:07 PM

I'm back home after a morning on campus. Classes are shut down for today and tomorrow and the students from MSUM, Concordia and NDSU have been sent into the flood fight. It was college students who were key in . 1997 and they will be key again. They work fast. They last longer. They recover quicker. They and thousands of others are at work across the area. So many showed up to fill soundbags they had to just put a big pile of sand in the parking lot and give out shovels.

The volunteer surged is the good news. The weather forecast is the bad news. We've had showers today and more are possible tonight and tomorrow. At some point tomorrow afternoon it is to turn much cooler and the rain is to turn into snow. I've not heard how much snow for here, but farther west in North Dakota they are calling for several inches. This puts more pressure on the sandbagging and dike building. You can't build a good dike with frozen sandbags. To help speed things up at some sites, the city is getting "temporary flood walls." Evidently you can set these things up, fill them with sand and you've got a flood wall. I want to see one, but now is no time for sightseeing. In fact, the Sheriff on the Minnesota side threatens to arrest gawkers and put them to work sandbagging.

As for me, I'm doing my laundry now in case there is a call to reduce water usuage later in the week. This evening I'll return to "Flood Central" to answer phones again. I'll call later to see if they need me earlier than I planned to be there. I'll be back there again tomorrow and as many nights this week as needed.

I was supposed to give an exam to my American Government class on Thursday. It is a test that was delayed by the blizzard before Spring Break. Now it will be delayed by a flood. It is officially 'the disaster test.'

Flood Blogging 3/23/09 12:27 AM

As a way to settle my mind during this flood week, I'm going to blog. It may be once a day. It may be more. I see it as a psychological release like I used my exercise bike tonight as physical release.

To catch up anyone who doesn't know, the Red River Valley is one its way to record flooding. You can check the local newspaper or listento our biggest local radio station and there is even a group on facebook.

Whatever way you see the information, it all boils down to this. Saturated ground froze last fall, early and late snows with lots of moisture are melting and we are having rain storms. The result is major flooding earlier and faster than in anyone's memory. Flood fighting here is usually a mid-April event. This year it is a late March event. The NWS latest forecast (we get one or two a day) is for a crest late Thursday or early Friday between 39 - 41 feet. Flood stage here is 18 feet. The big, bad flood of 1997 was about 39.5 feet. And it took a while to get to that level. The current projection has the river going up about 7 feet between now and 7 pm. It doesn't start slowing down until Wednesday night and by then it is projected to be over 38 feet.

This has led to a massive effort by local, state and federal government plus thousands of volunteers from here and elsewhere you are pitching in to do as much as they can as fast as they can. My back keeps me away from sandbags so I've been volunteering at the phone center. It's called "Flood Central." We take calls for people asking where to volunteer and asking for volunteers. We have received calls from lots of folks from outside the region who are coming here to help. We have received calls from frightened homeowners who need to build a dike and have never done it before. We get calls of ice blocked culverts causing flooding. We get calls from volunteers at one site which is done and looking for another place to work. The phones rang this evening almost constantly. It really got busy after the local news started and the calls went out to call the volunteer line number (701-476-4000 for anyone local reading this). By the time it got to be 10 pm and they switched to the overnight workers for Firstlink that is running the operation we were all happy not to answer any more calls.

Tomorrow classes are being cancellled at MSUM starting at 10:30. I couldn't figure that out at first. Then I heard Concordia was doing the same. My only conclusion is that they want the students to get to campus first. This works as an explanatin given that the Moorhead site for volunteering is Nemzek Fieldhouse on the MSUM campus. Maybe they'll have the profs just march the students from the classrooms directly to the fieldhouse an put them to work. I wouldn't be surprised if the same thing occurs on Tuesday. The young able bodies of college students are needed. In Fargo alone, the projection I mention previously means that the city will need 900,000 more sandbags than they first thought and they first thought they needed 1.5 million sandbags. Plus, those sandbags will have to be turned in dikes.

It is a helluva way to end Spring Break.

My mind is settling toward sleep now. I'm sure I'll be early to listen to the radio and try to figure out how much I should do at my office before getting back to "Flood Central." I'll try to update here when I can during the day.

If you are far away and want to help, you can make a donation at http://www.impactgiveback.org/
The first $25,ooo given will be matched and all the money will stay local to help with the flood fight an the recovery effort.