Flood 2009

This is my first flood. I have lived in moorhead for a year and before that I lived in a flood free area. I have heard the phrase, "the flood of 97", and many stories to go along with it. Until you live within a community that is going through a crisis, in this case flooding, you cannot completely understand the situation. This week I have learned so much about flooding and the art of sandbagging. Before I thought a sandbag weighed about 50 pounds and was large like a bag of salt for a water softner. I also thought that when a house was sandbagged they built a super tall wall, like 8 feet tall. I know different, now. On monday I was able to volunteer a few hours of my time to make sandbags at MSCTC. It was enduring work, ecspecially due to the weather. But, it is worth it to know that the effort put in will help a family or more, somewhere. I hope and pray that I will be able to volunteer again before this is over. It is such an amazing feeling to be part of an operation that is so huge. The radio is constantly reporting everything in regards to the flood but today when I drove into an area close to the red river, it blew my mind. I work for a home health care agency and today I had a client that lived out of town. I drove out on University to Wall Street or County Road 20. At first I saw alot of commotion up ahead, and then the river. The river was massive! It was beyond what I imagined and knowing it will raise alot higher is crazy. Driving into these neighborhoods was mindblowing. There were trucks, buses, and military vehicles along the roads for miles. There were piles of sand in the middle of the highway. It is a relief, in this world, that people come together as they do to get through disasters, like these.