Dave Arntson : Photojournalist http://www.davearntson.com North Dakota & Minnesota Photojournalism, Editorial and Commercial Photography Tue, 28 Apr 2009 04:34:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Sheyenne River Flood – Tuesday, April 14, 2009 http://www.davearntson.com/?p=305 http://www.davearntson.com/?p=305#comments Wed, 15 Apr 2009 05:04:32 +0000 dave http://www.davearntson.com/?p=305 North Dakota photojournalism legend Bruce Crummy and I toured the Sheyenne River Valley to see the damage the Sheyenne River is causing. It’s rising to historic levels in both Lisbon and Valley City where locals, the National Guard and Army Corps of Engineers continue to raise and monitor dike systems.

A road outside of Lisbon, N.D. is washed out. Water boils over the top of a county road near Lisbon. A Ransom County dump truck hauls dirt over a flooded county road. A dump truck hauls dirt over a flooded county road near Lisbon. Overland flooding fills fields to the south of Lisbon. The home of Shane Gilbert near Lisbon is surrounded by rising flood waters from the Sheyenne River. Ed Lund drives a skid steer loader through a flooded portion of his farm. A bridge is overwhelmed by the Sheyenne. Dave Bjornson waits for palettes of sandbags to be loaded on a trailer in the Swanke Addition of Valley City, N.D. Bjornson and other volunteers where building a dike around the home of 86-year-old Hazel Edlund to protect it from the rising Sheyenne River. Darren Bjornson, right, passes sandbags down the line as he and other volunteers a dike around the home of 86-year-old Hazel Edlund in the Swanke Addition of Valley City. Marty Undem lays sandbags on a dike around the home of Hazel Edlund. Marty Undem catches sandbags as volunteers build a dike around the home of Hazel Edlund. ]]> http://www.davearntson.com/?feed=rss2&p=305 0 Red River Flood – Tuesday, March 31, 2009 http://www.davearntson.com/?p=285 http://www.davearntson.com/?p=285#comments Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:33:40 +0000 dave http://www.davearntson.com/?p=285 Kris Kerzman described today as a floozard – flood and blizzard all at once. We multitask up here.

I spent part of the afternoon out of the floozard with Sarah Kjos and Robby Njos in their home along the Red River in Moorhead. Their dike is right next to their home, so close it’s under the deck. Several pumps run constantly pushing the seepage back out into the river and need to be checked every 30 minutes. They’ve recruited a team of friends to help with the night watch to make sure the pumps don’t clog or freeze up. Everything that was in the basement is now on the main floor making the living quarters a little tighter. The couple has two little girls that are away with grandma and grandpa in Minot while the family pup, Abby, helps hold down the fort.

While the river continues to drop it will be several weeks before they can turn off the pumps and remove their dike. Tuesday’s snowfall added more moisture to the system and when it melts the Red River is expected to rise and crest again.

Red River stage, 9:15pm: 37.62ft
(Previous) Record: 40.1ft
Flood stage: 18ft

Snow falls over Red River floodwaters in Moorhead. Moorhead police officers Jeff Nelson, right, and Brian Dahl examine a dike in Moorhead, Minn. along the Red River on foot during a snowstorm Tuesday. Up to 18 inches of new snow are expected to fall in the Fargo, N.D. and Moorhead area by Wednesday. Moorhead police officers Jeff Nelson, left, and Brian Dahl patrol a Moorhead neighborhood along the Red River on foot. Red River floodwaters are right outside the sun room of the home of Sarah Kjos and Robby Njos Tuesday. The couple moved their belongings from the basement to the main floor to escape the floodwaters. Robby Njos makes a regular check of a pump inside the dike that protects their home from Red River floodwaters. Robby uses a basement window to access pumps next to the dike protecting their home. Belongings from the basement fill the sunroom. With one hand on the dike and the other on the exterior wall of his home, Robby makes a regular check of the pumps. Several of the couple's neighbors have had dikes give way and basements fill with water. Falling flood waters have helped the couple relax but the Red River remains a threat for several weeks to come. ]]> http://www.davearntson.com/?feed=rss2&p=285 0 Red River Flood – Sunday, March 29, 2009 http://www.davearntson.com/?p=263 http://www.davearntson.com/?p=263#comments Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:03:55 +0000 dave http://www.davearntson.com/?p=263 Early Sunday morning a dike at Oak Grove was breached and the school (which my nephew attends) was flooded but due to the massive emergency response damage was limited to a few buildings. The rest of the community was relatively calm as people continued to watch their dikes and waited for the river to drop to a safer level.

Later in the morning ice jams on the Red River north of Fargo-Moorhead caused a swift rise in water levels in Hendrum, Minn. A call for volunteers went out to help raise the city’s dike on the west side of town and residents from all over the Red River Valley responded.

Red River stage, 9:15pm: 39.68ft
(Previous) Record: 40.1ft
Flood stage: 18ft

A homeowner in the Oak Grove neighborhood shows a sense of humor. A dredger works on a railroad bridge spanning Fargo, N.D. and Moorhead, Minn. A Blackhawk helicopter prepares to drop a one ton bag of sandbags on the dike breach at Oak Grove school Sunday. A Blackhawk helicopter prepares to drop a one ton bag of sandbags on the dike breach at Oak Grove school Sunday. Flood water sits next to a building on the Oak Grove campus after a dike breach in the early morning hours of Sunday. Dike walkers photograph flood waters in the Meadow Creek neighborhood of Fargo. An inflatable water toy is frozen in the flood waters next to a dike in the Meadow Creek neighborhood of Fargo. Spec. Tyler Braaten, left, and Spec. Adam Braaten, brothers from Hankinson, N.D. and members of the North Dakota National Guard 188th Vertical from Wahpeton, N.D., talk with homeowners in the Meadow Creek neighborhood Sunday. Homeowner Virgil McKay, left, talks with Norman County engineer Mick Alm, center, and Hendrum, Minn. fire chief Paul Luoma Sunday. Mickey the dog inspects a hose draining water from the home of owner Virgil McKay on the edge of Hendrum, Minn. Sunday, March 29, 2009. McKay's home is surrounded by flood water and five pumps are keeping leaks at bay. Mickey the dog walks along a dike next to owner Virgil McKay's home on the edge of Hendrum, Minn. Flood waters surround the home of Virgil McKay in Hendrum, Minn. Steve Morken of Climax, Minn. lays sandbags along a dike on the edge of Hendrum, Minn. Sunday. Dozens of volunteers fill sandbags in the middle of Main Street in Hendrum. Ann Tommerdahl, right, and daughter Maria Tommerdahl, 12, fill sandbags in the middle of Main Street in Hendrum, Minn. Dozens of volunteers fill sandbags in the middle of Main Street in Hendrum. Bev Kolness, right, and Marlene Hetland mix a batch of lemonade for flood fighting volunteers in the kitchen of the Hendrum, Minn. school Sunday. "After church all hell broke loose," said Kolness. Volunteers prepare meals for Minnesota National Guard troops and sandbaggers in the kitchen of the Hendrum school. ]]> http://www.davearntson.com/?feed=rss2&p=263 0 Red River Flood – Saturday, March 28, 2009 http://www.davearntson.com/?p=246 http://www.davearntson.com/?p=246#comments Sun, 29 Mar 2009 03:28:55 +0000 dave http://www.davearntson.com/?p=246 (Note: I was almost done typing this when I realized I had the wrong day in the headline. I think there are a lot of people in the area that can relate to that.)

Saturday was calm. While there were occasional rushes by rescue personnel with lights and sirens to shore up a leak, the dikes have been holding. By midday the Red River actually leveled off and began to drop but officials where not ready to call this a crest (the “c-word”). The hopefulness this development triggered was evident in the throngs of people that flocked to the Veterans Memorial Bridge at Main Avenue to catch a glimpse of the enemy.

The latest model by the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service shows the river dropping below 40 feet by late Monday.

Red River stage, 9:15pm: 40.44ft
(Previous) Record: 40.1ft
Flood stage: 18ft

A man carries bags of groceries back to his home in Moorhead, Minn. as the sun goes down Friday evening, March 27, 2009. Flood waters from backed up storm sewers fill an intersection in Moorhead, Minn. Friday evening, March 27. Firefighters from Alexandria, Minn. and Osakis, Minn. walk along a dike as they check for any problems in Moorhead, Minn. Saturday. A helicopter flies over volunteer Kevin Kooren as he fills sandbags in the Moorhead Country Club neighborhood. Volunteers fill sandbags in the Moorhead Country Club neighborhood. A helicopter flies over volunteers filling sandbags in the Moorhead Country Club neighborhood. Flood waters of the Red River near the top of the Island Park dike near downtown Fargo, N.D. Saturday, March 28, 2009. A man videotapes the Red River near Main Avenue in Moorhead. The Red River covers a stairway on the Veterans Memorial Bridge at Main Avenue. The Red River expands well out of its natural channel as it approaches Veterans Memorial Bridge. A sightseer admires the swollen Red River from the Veterans Memorial Bridge which connects Fargo, N.D. and Moorhead, Minn. Saturday. A sightseer takes a photo of the swollen Red River from the Veterans Memorial Bridge. Chris Laveau of the U.S. Geological Survey loads a boat onto a trailer after measuring the stream flow of the Red River in Moorhead, Minn. Saturday, March 28, 2009. The communities of Moorhead and Fargo, N.D. received good news Saturday that flood waters have dropped slightly and may have peaked. Water flows from a pump back into the Red River in Moorhead. ]]> http://www.davearntson.com/?feed=rss2&p=246 0 Red River Flood – Friday, March 27, 2009 http://www.davearntson.com/?p=222 http://www.davearntson.com/?p=222#comments Sat, 28 Mar 2009 04:45:21 +0000 dave http://www.davearntson.com/?p=222 Early morning Friday was a far cry from the scene on Thursday. Congested roads and stalled traffic gave way eerily quiet streets. Swings through Moorhead, downtown Fargo, Meadow Creek and the Amber Plains subdivision in the morning found few people out activily fighting the water but after Thursday’s marathon who would be surprised.

The volunteers in the Oak Grove area were motivated and eager to do whatever it took to ensure the safety of the school and just a few blocks away I found the days largest group of volunteers topping off a dike on Elm Street.

Far away from the fight at the Red River Valley Fairgrounds volunteers from all over the Upper Midwest worked to keep displaced animals safe and calm. The next building over at the fairgrounds found scores of volunteers from several faith-based relief organizations assembly a collection point for evacuees in need of public shelter.

Dikes are leaking (and being repaired), city officials are scrambling and we’re all waiting.

Red River stage, 10:15pm: 40.78ft
(Previous) Record: 40.1ft
Flood stage: 18ft

Peg Klemisch of Moorhead, Minn., sheds a tear as she watches the Red River slow creep toward her home further down the street Thursday, Gary and Peg Klemisch watch a local news conference from their home in Moorhead, Minn., Thursday, March 27, 2009. On Thursday morning the neighborhood was given a voluntary evacuation notice. Steve DiFiore of Minneapolis, Minn. searches an abandoned sandbag filling station in south Moorhead, Minn. for supplies Friday, March 27, 2009. DiFiore traveled to Moorhead to help is brother save his home from the rising Red River. The Red River between Fargo, N.D. and Moorhead, Minn. continues to creep up to toward the top of the Island Park dike near downtown Friday. Travis Bauer of Fargo, N.D. checks a pump behind a sandbag dike in the Meadow Creek neighborhood. Ron Strand digs a drainage channel behind a dike in the backyard of his home in the Meadow Creeek neighborhood of Fargo. Damian McAllister uses a sled to drag sandbags across a snowy driveway as he and other residents of the Amber Plains subdivision south of Fargo, N.D. try to defend their homes from rising flood waters Friday. Korey Kirschenmann, from left, Damian McAllister, Brad Odegard and Arnie Lauinger pile sandbags around Odegard's home in the Amber Plains subdivision south of Fargo. Lana Kirschenmann fills sandbags in the Amber Plains subdivision south of Fargo. Mike Mead, left, passes a sandbag to fellow Cass County Electric worker Don Baasch as they build a dike around an important electric switch in the Rose Creek neighborhood of Fargo, N.D. Friday. Dee DeGeest of Cass County Electric passes sandbags as a dike around an important electric switch is built in the Rose Creek neighborhood of Fargo. Derek Johnson of Fargo, N.D. tosses a sandbag up the line as he and other volunteers add sandbags to the top of a dike in the Oak Grove neighborhood. Jeff Duerr of Fargo, N.D. tosses sandwiches to hungry volunteers as they add sandbags to the top of a dike in the Oak Grove neighborhood. Dozens of volunteers line the top of a dike as they add sandbags to the top in the Oak Grove neighborhood of Fargo. Oak Grove High School principal Morgan Forness updates volunteers on plans to save the school in Fargo, N.D. Friday. Volunteers listen to Oak Grove High School principal Morgan Forness update them on plans to save the school in Fargo, N.D. Friday, March 27, 2009. The school was overtaken by the Red River flood of 1997 and built flood walls for protection but even those may not be high enough. A contingency dike is built down the middle of Seventh Avenue North in the Oak Grove neighborhood of Fargo, N.D. Friday. Xenia Varon of Minneapolis, Minn. tries to sooth a stressed Heidi at a shelter for displaced animals at the Red River Fairgrounds in West Fargo, N.D. Two dogs watch Xenia Varon do paperwork at a shelter for displaced animals at the Red River Fairgrounds in West Fargo. Director of Lutheran Disaster Response North Dakota Bonnie Turner, left, discusses where to place temporary phone lines with Qwest employee Jim Delling at the Red River Valley Fairgrounds. Sandie Sahr, left, and Carlla Maki, volunteers from Jamestown, N.D. with the United Methodist Committee on Relief, distribute food to displaced persons at the Red River Valley Fairgrounds. ]]> http://www.davearntson.com/?feed=rss2&p=222 0 Red River Flood – Thursday, March 26, 2009 http://www.davearntson.com/?p=196 http://www.davearntson.com/?p=196#comments Fri, 27 Mar 2009 03:34:31 +0000 dave http://www.davearntson.com/?p=196 An optimistic day of sandbagging was ruined by a new, record-setting crest prediction of 42 feet. Volunteers are at it again to try and raise the dikes on the southern end of town to 44 feet in 24 hours.

Thursday I started in Meadow Creek where they were busy trying to get the dikes to 43 feet (now 44). Before any sandbags could be dropped the original dikes had to be shoveled out from the snow that fell yesterday. Snowblowing then sandbagging… welcome to Fargo.

I went to Moorhead and picked up Britta Trygstad and we both went to Nemzek Hall at MSUM. There were scores of volunteers filing in, grabbing a bagged lunch and heading out to a bus for the front lines.

Next, River Drive in south Fargo again. The good news is they had almost all their dikes at 43 feet this morning, the bad news is the city was building a contingency dike down the middle of River Drive effectively sealing of the homes on the river if a dike gave way.

I was at Meadow Creek early and there weren’t many volunteers yet so we decided to return there just before noon. By now the police department had closed of 25th from 40th Avenue South to 52nd Avenue South so crews could add on to the Rose Creek Coullee. A 30 minute detour later and we made it back to Meadow Creek and now the sandbags were really flying.

In the afternoon Britta and I added Katie Lewis to our merry caravan with stops at the Fargodome and Fargo water treatment plant. An amazing number of people filled the dome keeping the forklifts and trucks moving at a hectic pace. At the water plant we met a great group of kids from Red Wing, Minn. that made a 600 mile roundtrip just to help out for the day.

Red River stage, 9:15pm: 39.75ft
Record: 40.1ft
Flood stage: 18ft

Dr. Steve Berndt shovels snow that fell overnight away the dike protecting the Meadow Creek neighborhood of Fargo, N.D. from rising flood waters as volunteers prepared to raise the dike another foot. A playhouse sits on the wrong side of the dike protecting the Meadow Creek neighborhood of Fargo, N.D. from rising flood waters. Garrett Maurer, a North Dakota State University Student from Benson, Minn., uses a baseball bat to loosen frozen sandbags before they are placed on the dike protecting the Meadow Creek neighborhood. Rising flood waters threaten the Oak Creek neighborhood of Fargo. Volunteers raise the dike protecting the Meadow Creek neighborhood of Fargo, N.D. from rising flood waters. North Dakota State University student Andrew Budke catches a sandbag to place on the dike protecting the Meadow Creek neighborhood of Fargo. Chips and other food is placed on a table at Nemzek Hall on the Minnesota State University Moorhead that sandbagging volunteers use to pack meals before boarding buses to go to areas of town to build dikes. Volunteers sign in at Nemzek Hall on the Minnesota State University Moorhead before boarding buses to go to areas of town to build dikes. Homeowner Todd Haggart clears the area in front of the dike next to his home as the Red River rises next to him in the River Drive area of Fargo. Tammy Kapaun, left, tosses a sandbag to her husband, Jim Kapaun, as they and other volunteers add sandbags to a dike in the River Drive area of Fargo. Volunteers add sandbags to a dike in the River Drive area of Fargo. Volunteers add sandbags to a dike in the River Drive area of Fargo. Beth and Jeff Svare of Audubon, Minn. take a break to eat a meal while helping raise a sandbag dike in the Meadow Creek neighborhood of Fargo. Ron VanHeuveln, a volunteer from Sauk Rapids, Minn. pulls sandbags from palettes and passes down the line. VanHeuveln and a group of volunteers made the 175 mile trip to help out for several days. Hundreds of volunteers fill sandbags at the Fargodome. Sandbags fill the schoop of a front end load as hundreds of volunteers fill sandbags at the Fargodome. Sandbags with inspirational messages written by volunteers sit on palettes at the Fargodome. Shawn Christmann, left, and Sara Kran, both of West Fargo, N.D., stack sandbags on palettes at the Fargodome. Jason Olson of Audubon, Minn. passes sandbags as volunteers rushed to finish a dike around the main fresh water pumping station in Fargo. Brian Durgin slowly fills a Hesco Container with sand as volunteers rushed to finish a dike around the main fresh water pumping station in Fargo, N.D. Thursday, March 26, 2009. Dan Lee, 17, left, and Alex Zeig, 16, pass sandbags down the line as volunteers rushed to finish a dike around the main fresh water pumping station in Fargo, N.D., Thursday, March 26, 2009. The teens were part of a group of 55 students from Red Wing, Minn. that traveled 280 miles to help build dikes for the day. ]]> http://www.davearntson.com/?feed=rss2&p=196 0 Red River Flood – Wednesday, March 25, 2009 http://www.davearntson.com/?p=179 http://www.davearntson.com/?p=179#comments Thu, 26 Mar 2009 03:36:46 +0000 dave http://www.davearntson.com/?p=179 I spent the entire day in Oxbow, N.D. just south of Fargo photographing the deteriorating situation. The water came up higher and faster than expected and several people need emergency evacuations in the morning. The command center was the Knickerbocker Liquor Locker in Hickson (literally on the other side of the road from Oxbow) which had law enforcement and volunteers coming and going all day.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and U.S. Coast Guard provided airboats to both evacuate people and check on stranded homeowners. The only access to Oxbow was by those same airboats or a small number of commercial trucks with high enough clearance to clear the flood waters.

A new crest prediction of 41 feet has the entire community scrambling to raise dikes even higher.

Red River stage, 9:15pm: 36.98ft
Record: 40.1ft
Flood stage: 18ft

Overland flood waters from the Wild Rice River lap at the southbound lane of Interstate 29 near Oxbow, N.D. The rising Red River and overland flooding from the Wild Rice river is threatening dozens of homes in the area around Oxbow and Hickson. Overland flood waters from the Wild Rice River lap at the southbound lane of Interstate 29 near Oxbow, N.D. U.S. Coast Guard sailors from Coast Guard Station Marblehead (Ohio) prepare their ice rescue airboat to help stranded homeowners in Oxbow, N.D. The rising Red River and overland flooding from the Wild Rice river is threatening dozens of homes in the area around Oxbow and Hickson. Teams from the Coast Guard, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Cass County Sheriff's Department used air boats to access isolated homes to rescue stranded people. BMC Greg Zerpass of the U.S. Coast Guard gives instructions to sailors in an ice rescue airboat as they prepare to help stranded homeowners in Oxbow, N.D. Members of Valley Water Rescue lift a crate containing two dogs rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard in the Butcher Block subdivision north of Oxbow, N.D. Members of the U.S. Coast Guard navigate an ice rescue airboat past homes in the Butcher Block subdivision north of Oxbow, N.D. Cass County Sheriff Sgt. Judy Tollefson walks past members of the U.S. Coast Guard as they prepare to launch their ice rescue boat in the Butcher Block subdivision north of Oxbow, N.D. Two dogs rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard in the Butcher Block subdivision north of Oxbow, N.D. huddle together in a crate. Members of the U.S. Coast Guard launch an ice rescue airboat to assist stranded homeowners in the Butcher Block subdivision north of Oxbow, N.D. Cass County Sheriff Deputy Greg Dawkins and a member of Valley Water Rescue lift a crate containing two dogs rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard in the Butcher Block subdivision north of Oxbow, N.D. Cass County Sheriff Sgt. Judy Tollefson comforts two dogs that were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard in the Butcher Block subdivision north of Oxbow, N.D. Best friends Kayla Weston, right, and Destiny Dolan, both 15, hold hands in the Knickerbocker Liquor Locker bar in Hickson, N.D. after being rescued from rising flood waters. Members of Valley Water Rescue break a U.S. Fish and Wildlife airboat free from the ice as it prepares to go into Oxbow, N.D. to assist stranded homeowners. Volunteers on their way to sandbag hang on to one of the few trucks with high enough clearance to make it through rising flood waters in Oxbow, N.D. U.S. Coast Guard sailor BM3 Jeremy Sergey from Coast Guard Station Sault St. Marie (Mich.) navigates an ice rescue airboat across a flooded road south of Oxbow, N.D. to check on stranded homeowners. ]]> http://www.davearntson.com/?feed=rss2&p=179 0 Red River Flood – Tuesday, March 24, 2009 http://www.davearntson.com/?p=154 http://www.davearntson.com/?p=154#comments Wed, 25 Mar 2009 03:00:59 +0000 dave http://www.davearntson.com/?p=154 Tuesday started out sunny unlike the previous two days but the urgent nature of the flood fight was still the same. The Rosecreek and Meadow Creek neighborhoods raised dikes to protect their areas from the rising water of nearby coulees. Sandbags from Sandbag Central and the Fargodome were still delivered with lights-and-siren police escorts throughout town.

On the north side of town volunteers completely took over the floor of the Fargodome to fill sandbags by hand and soldiers from the North Dakota Army National Guard 815th Engineering Company built a clay dike on the access road to Edgewood Golf Course.

Rain turning to snow is predicted for Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

Red River stage, 9:15pm: 32.59ft
Record: 40.1ft
Flood stage: 18ft

City of Fargo employees Jeremy Grandstrand, right, and Mike Shultz drive stakes marking the predicted Red River flood crest height of 41 feet. Megan Aarsvold, 17, passes a sandbag down a line of volunteers as they build a dike behind her home in the Meadow Creek neighborhood of Fargo, N.D. Jeff Haiskanen pulls sandbags off a pile and passes them down the line as volunteers build a dike in the Meadow Creek neighborhood of Fargo, N.D. Volunteers fill sandbags by hand to be used in dike building in the Meadow Creek neighborhood of Fargo, N.D. Volunteers add sandbags to a dike in the Rosecreek neighborhood of Fargo, N.D. as the Rosecreek coulee rises behind them. im DeBoer, right, and Chad Pundsack stack sandbags on the end of a dike in the Rosecreek neighborhood of Fargo, N.D. DeBoer of Ottertail, Minn. came to Fargo to help his brother-in-law Pundsack who lives in the neighborhood. Jonathan Race of Grove City, Minn. passes a sandbag down the line as volunteers build a dike in the Rosecreek neighborhood of Fargo, N.D. Dave Reyerson tosses sandbag into the scoop of a front-end loader while hundreds of volunteers fill sandbags by hand at the Fargodome to be used for dikes to protect Fargo, N.D. from the rising Red River. The city's indoor stadium has been converted into a massive sandbag filling station staffed by volunteers. Hundreds of volunteers fill sandbags by hand at the Fargodome to be used for dikes to protect Fargo, N.D. from the rising Red River. Hundreds of volunteers fill sandbags by hand at the Fargodome to be used for dikes to protect Fargo, N.D. from the rising Red River. Forklift operators haul palettes of sandbags to a waiting truck in Fargo, N.D. for use in dikes to protect the city from the rising Red River while a line of trucks carrying sand wait to enter the Fargodome. A forklift operator hauls a palette of sandbags to a waiting truck in Fargo, N.D. to be used in dikes to protect the city from the rising Red River. A Fargo police officer prepares to escort trucks carrying sandbags from the Fargodome in Fargo, N.D. to locations where dikes are being built to protect the city from the rising Red River. North Dakota Army National Guard soldiers from the 815th Engineering Company build a clay dike along the access road to Edgewood golf course on the north side of Fargo, N.D. North Dakota Army National Guard soldiers from the 815th Engineering Company build a clay dike along the access road to Edgewood golf course on the north side of Fargo, N.D. ]]> http://www.davearntson.com/?feed=rss2&p=154 0 Red River Flood – Monday, March 23, 2009 http://www.davearntson.com/?p=134 http://www.davearntson.com/?p=134#comments Tue, 24 Mar 2009 03:29:47 +0000 dave http://www.davearntson.com/?p=134 Sandbagging moved into high gear on Monday across the area with massive amounts of clay, sand and sandbags being moved around the community. In Fargo trucks loaded with sandbags were given lights-and-siren escorts by police cars from Sandbag Central to the southside of town. Scores of students from Shanley and Fargo South high schools built dikes at homes along River Shore Drive.

Oakport Towship north of Moorhead is in a more unique situation. Because of the way the houses are spread out and the varied elevations each individual home needs its own ring dike.

Red River stage, 9:15pm: 27.86ft
Record: 40.1ft
Flood stage: 18ft

Palettes of sandbags line River Shore Drive in Fargo, N.D. as trucks deliver more to the area. A Fargo police car uses its lights and siren to escort trucks loaded with sandbags to River Shore Drive in south Fargo, N.D. The rising Red River flows behind a line of volunteers as they build a dike in the backyard of a home along the Red River in Fargo, N.D. High schools and universities in the Fargo-Moorhead area canceled classes Monday, March 23 and encouraged students to help with the flood fighting efforts. A line of volunteers pass sandbags as they build a dike in the backyard of a home along the Red River in Fargo, N.D. Volunteers pass sandbags as they build a dike in the backyard of a home along the Red River in Fargo, N.D. Cousins Brittany Granberg, right, and Kelsey Granberg stack sandbags on palettes to be used in building a dike behind a home along the Red River in Fargo, N.D. Fargo Shanley High School freshman Madeline Carson, 14, passes a sandbag to a classmate as they help build a dike behind a home along the Red River in Fargo, N.D. Scores of local high school and college students pass sandbags from the street to the rear of homes along River Shore Drive in Fargo N.D. as they build dikes to protect the homes. High schools and universities in the Fargo-Moorhead area canceled classes Monday, March 23 and encouraged students to help with the flood fighting efforts. The Red River steadily rises beneath the bridges connecting Moorhead, Minn. and Fargo, N.D. Several bridges and roads are already closed or under water due to the high water levels. A sanitation truck dumps sandbags into a pile for volunteers stacking building a dike behind a home along the Red River in the Oak Grove neighborhood of Fargo, N.D. Amanda Lindseth, left, and Aaron Rubbert pass sandbags along a line of volunteers as they build a dike behind a home along the Red River in the Oak Grove neighborhood of Fargo, N.D. Lindseth lives in the neighborhood and Rubbert is a North Dakota State University student volunteer. A surveyor's marker shows were a Red River crest of 41 feet would reach while volunteers stack sandbags behind a home along the Red River in the Oak Grove neighborhood of Fargo, N.D. Volunteers stack sandbags behind a home along the Red River in the Oak Grove neighborhood of Fargo, N.D. A home in Oakport Township, Minn. is surrounded by a dike as water creeps closer. Nearly every home in the township has a dike being built around it for protection from the rising Red River. Several antique cars are surrounded by high water in Oakport Township, Minn. Monday afternoon. Nearly every home in the township has a dike being built around it for protection from the rising Red River. ]]> http://www.davearntson.com/?feed=rss2&p=134 0 Red River Flood – Sunday, March 22, 2009 http://www.davearntson.com/?p=115 http://www.davearntson.com/?p=115#comments Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:23:27 +0000 dave http://www.davearntson.com/?p=115 Sunday was a massive day of preparation in Fargo-Moorhead. On the North Dakota side flatbed semi-trucks, city and National Guard trucks delivered palette after palette of sandbags to residents along the Red River. City buses delivered volunteers to private homes to help build dikes. With rain moving in and an earlier record-breaking crest expected the entire community is rushing to prepare.

Red River stage, 9:15pm: 23.14ft
Record: 40.1ft
Flood stage: 18ft

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