Wow. Do we have weather issues across this state, or what!?!?
We have an absolute mess in many parts of the state, with snow, ice, bad roads, and flooding.
I was out sandbagging yesterday for 8-9 hours, and I cannot describe the range of emotions. I saw the absolute best in people, and a little of the other side as well. Mostly great though! I cannot convey how PROUD I am of a few different things: (1) to be from a place where people would give the shirt off their back to help each other, (2) to be a farm kid, and (3) to have been raised in a part of the country where they taught us the value of work.
I started yesterday morning with a crew that was sent out from the Fargodome. We were building a dike behind several houses directly east of NDSU...on the river. Our line started fairly slowly, but another farm boy showed up, and he and I started realizing we were going to need to make some changes if we wanted to get anything measurable done. So we went to the tail end and started placing the bags on the dike to pick up the pace. Pretty soon, another 4 farm boys showed up, and we really started moving. Then, we figured it would go faster yet if the 6 of us started pulling directly off the pile. Then, 2 more farm kids walked up and joined our line. We really started flinging the bags at that point. The city officials were making fun of us at first, thinking we couldn't keep up our pace. The one guy next to me said, "you've never seen farm boys work before, have you?" The beauty of it was, he said it with as convincing and sober a look on his face as you could have ever imagined. We had a great day, and moved 5 bags to every other line's 1 (the city guy was counting for awhile). :) It confirmed in me the reason I love working for this industry, and for an organization that stands for things that are right...personal responsibility, work ethic, and controlling our own destiny.
One of our staff members has been volunteering her time at the calling center as well, and another is heading out to help her brother right now...as his home is in jeopardy in north Moorhead. I have also heard of several Nodak Mutual employees who have ventured out to help as well. I grabbed some food last night, and sat down next to a guy who drove up from Minneapolis to sandbag, just because. Incredible!
I'm heading back out to join the ranks of volunteers again right now, as they want to raise the sandbags another foot now...to 43 feet. The National Weather Service is estimating the crest to hit on Saturday at 41 feet. We built to 42 feet yesterday where I was working, and surveyors had stakes out so we could see how high we were. You would not believe the masses of volunteers that are part of this effort. There are a million great stories to tell.
I'll leave you with this thought: Why is it that even bologna sandwiches taste SO GOOD...when you eat them outside, in inclement weather, with dirty hands? I have always wondered about that. I think some of the BEST meals I have ever eaten have been outside, in a field, off the tailgate of a pickup.
I sandbagged along the river last night with a crew...until we ran out of bags (at least where we were). When they took us back to the Fargodome by bus, my camera finally started working again for a few pictures. I think it was frozen out at the sandbagging site, so I couldn't get pictures out there. They are arresting people for standing on dikes and taking pictures now too. Pretty dramatic stuff. The river was within about 6 feet of this guy's back door. Another guy had built a retaining wall several years back, but it didn't pass engineer inspection, so we stacked about 2 semi-loads of bags in behind it.
