Sometimes, while I'm at home, it's hard to remember what's going on in F-M right now. I don't know if I forget about it because I'm really forgetting, or if it's because I'm scared to think about it. I have been trying to keep myself as busy as possible and fill my time with as many things as I can. However, when I have down time, I find myself thinking about the flood.
I feel like I have lost a couple weeks of my life to this darn disaster. However, I have gained so much through all of this! Heck, I never guessed I'd be able to look at ten sandbags and tell you which one is filled with the proper amount of sand. Being home has been an adventure. I've been graced with the presence of quite a few friends from high school. I've also been fortunate enough to catch up with a fair number of good friends from Concordia. What they say about our campus being close-knit couldn't be any more true. I miss my Team Evap like crazy!
Last night, I met some friends for the Bishop Allen concert in Minneapolis. They played a rocking show, including their song "Rain." Here are a few lyrics which had double meaning for us last night:
Oh, let the rain fall down
and wash this world away.
Oh let the sky be grey
cause if its ever gonna get any better
it has got to get worse for a day.
Morning, where am i this morning?
Now its really pouring,
crawling up this shore
and I walk the neighborhood
and the umbrella does no good
and I guess its in my blood.
I couldn't stop the flood!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Sharing
Several of my friends have sent out notes that I think are worthy of posting here. Sometimes I find that others are far more capable of expressing my feelings that even I am. My friend Paige wrote this message. I don't necessarily agree with each of her words, but it captures the essence of many students' feelings this weekend. I hope you take the time to read what she has to say:
There are feelings right now that I can't put into words, but I am sure going to try.
People call us lucky: two spring breaks, two weeks off of school, time to spend at home with our families when most others are returning to the daily grind.
What they don't understand, what no mere note can relay, is the fear. The intense, inexplicable fear that comes with our status as refugees.
Yes, I said it, refugees. We were at war--in a place where fear was running rampant; people were (and are) loosing everything they own. Always the threat of loss of life, by human error or environmental fury. In a mental state of constant battle with this unstoppable beast, the Red River. Knowing there's no stopping it, but trying to thwart its insatiable hunger.
Now we've been kicked out. Any chance we had of influencing the path of destruction, of changing the course of events, taken away from us like a blanket from an infant. This thing we've been grappling with, using every ounce of strength--physical and mental--in an attempt to beat back the mighty Red; now we can do nothing but watch from afar, praying with everything we have left that those who somehow found a way to remain can keep up the fight. No way to return to our Home--while it may not be our primary home, for eight months it is the place we lay our heads, the place we study, the place we fall in love, the place where our hearts are broken. In some small way, our souls are tied to this place, and now it is in danger. In terrible danger, and there's nothing we can do about it. We are truly a displaced people.
No one knows what we will come back to. It may be a campus as untouched as the one we left, with the added bonus of functioning sewer systems. It may be a campus that has been ravaged by floodwaters, everything wet and damp for at least the first floors. It may be a campus that lost sewer integrity, and everything, of everyone's, is contaminated with bacteria and sludge...
...They key is fear--of the known; river, sewer systems, time--and of the unknown; graduations, belongings, friends. Some may choose to stay away until after Easter, thus leaving us with holes in our hearts where these friends should be.
The ever imminent threat of utter and complete devastation has been weighing on our minds in ways that no one who has not gone or is not going through it can possibly immagine. While they may think they can, it is something that truly is too horrific for the mind to craft on its own....
...We want to go back. We want to watch the dikes ourselves. We want to help plug the leaks. We want to have the feeling of some small measure of control. We want to be allowed home. We miss our friends, our routines, our homework, our professors, our beds, our roommates.Please pray for the dikes to hold. Pray for calm winds in the coming storm. Pray for safety of all those still volunteering to watch for leaks and breaches. For the Oak Grove Lutheran School. For the students and families who've been displaced.
There are feelings right now that I can't put into words, but I am sure going to try.
People call us lucky: two spring breaks, two weeks off of school, time to spend at home with our families when most others are returning to the daily grind.
What they don't understand, what no mere note can relay, is the fear. The intense, inexplicable fear that comes with our status as refugees.
Yes, I said it, refugees. We were at war--in a place where fear was running rampant; people were (and are) loosing everything they own. Always the threat of loss of life, by human error or environmental fury. In a mental state of constant battle with this unstoppable beast, the Red River. Knowing there's no stopping it, but trying to thwart its insatiable hunger.
Now we've been kicked out. Any chance we had of influencing the path of destruction, of changing the course of events, taken away from us like a blanket from an infant. This thing we've been grappling with, using every ounce of strength--physical and mental--in an attempt to beat back the mighty Red; now we can do nothing but watch from afar, praying with everything we have left that those who somehow found a way to remain can keep up the fight. No way to return to our Home--while it may not be our primary home, for eight months it is the place we lay our heads, the place we study, the place we fall in love, the place where our hearts are broken. In some small way, our souls are tied to this place, and now it is in danger. In terrible danger, and there's nothing we can do about it. We are truly a displaced people.
No one knows what we will come back to. It may be a campus as untouched as the one we left, with the added bonus of functioning sewer systems. It may be a campus that has been ravaged by floodwaters, everything wet and damp for at least the first floors. It may be a campus that lost sewer integrity, and everything, of everyone's, is contaminated with bacteria and sludge...
...They key is fear--of the known; river, sewer systems, time--and of the unknown; graduations, belongings, friends. Some may choose to stay away until after Easter, thus leaving us with holes in our hearts where these friends should be.
The ever imminent threat of utter and complete devastation has been weighing on our minds in ways that no one who has not gone or is not going through it can possibly immagine. While they may think they can, it is something that truly is too horrific for the mind to craft on its own....
...We want to go back. We want to watch the dikes ourselves. We want to help plug the leaks. We want to have the feeling of some small measure of control. We want to be allowed home. We miss our friends, our routines, our homework, our professors, our beds, our roommates.Please pray for the dikes to hold. Pray for calm winds in the coming storm. Pray for safety of all those still volunteering to watch for leaks and breaches. For the Oak Grove Lutheran School. For the students and families who've been displaced.
I can show you that when it starts to rain, everything's the same
The longer I'm at home, the less weird it seems...well, sort of. Every now and then (okay probably a bajillion times a day) my brain freaks out and wonders, "Wait! What the heck is going on?" I get a little confused about where I am and why I'm here. I keep having spasms where I think I should be doing homework, studying, practicing, or whatnot. Oh well! It's getting better though.
I'm also starting to feel less guilty about enjoying my break. I've had the awesome opportunity to see quite a few of my friends while I've been home. Concordia's crazy strange breaks usually don't coincide with anyone else's, but this impromptu spring break is at a normal time! I am, however, getting a little irritated with all of the people who say, "Oh! It must be great to have a surprise break - no school for two weeks!" I'm sorry to say it, but I miss school a ridiculous amount. I love learning, I love class, I don't even really mind homework. I'm planning on heading back to school as soon as that silly campus reopens. :)
We've heard mostly great news about F-M lately though. The river crested a day earlier than predicted at between 1-2 feet lower than expected. Our dikes, for the most part, have been holding up well! A picture of my piano professor's house even made the front page of CNN. Whoa!
I'm yearning for more information about Concordia so I can figure out what on Earth is going to become of the rest of the semester. Academics are a little unnerving. I've heard from a couple profs, but not a whole lot. I'm eagerly awaiting Pammy J's update for the college in the morning!
I'm also starting to feel less guilty about enjoying my break. I've had the awesome opportunity to see quite a few of my friends while I've been home. Concordia's crazy strange breaks usually don't coincide with anyone else's, but this impromptu spring break is at a normal time! I am, however, getting a little irritated with all of the people who say, "Oh! It must be great to have a surprise break - no school for two weeks!" I'm sorry to say it, but I miss school a ridiculous amount. I love learning, I love class, I don't even really mind homework. I'm planning on heading back to school as soon as that silly campus reopens. :)
We've heard mostly great news about F-M lately though. The river crested a day earlier than predicted at between 1-2 feet lower than expected. Our dikes, for the most part, have been holding up well! A picture of my piano professor's house even made the front page of CNN. Whoa!
I'm yearning for more information about Concordia so I can figure out what on Earth is going to become of the rest of the semester. Academics are a little unnerving. I've heard from a couple profs, but not a whole lot. I'm eagerly awaiting Pammy J's update for the college in the morning!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Paul Bunyan Telephone Company
This morning, the Fargo Forum referred to Concordia students as "refugees." Okay, so I know this situation is devastating and terrible, but refugees? Really?
Our lovely newspaper also reported that a farm north of Grand Forks has relocated sixty of its cattle to West Fargo. I'm fascinated and intrigued by all of the animal shelters and funny evacuation centers that have been set up.
Fargo has supplies for 30,000 evacuees for a week - I find that appalling. Concordia had a lot of students without places to go (I was fortunate enough to have transportation, housing, etc.) so they sent students to the Language Villages (a year-round language camp sponsored by Concordia). I feel helpless enough as it is, but I can't imagine what it would be like to be stranded in Bemidji without friends and family. They do have internet, however. And I'm proud to announce that "Paul Bunyan Telephone Company" is providing them with cable televsion. Doesn't that sound like a joke? Nope, it's real. :)
Our lovely newspaper also reported that a farm north of Grand Forks has relocated sixty of its cattle to West Fargo. I'm fascinated and intrigued by all of the animal shelters and funny evacuation centers that have been set up.
Fargo has supplies for 30,000 evacuees for a week - I find that appalling. Concordia had a lot of students without places to go (I was fortunate enough to have transportation, housing, etc.) so they sent students to the Language Villages (a year-round language camp sponsored by Concordia). I feel helpless enough as it is, but I can't imagine what it would be like to be stranded in Bemidji without friends and family. They do have internet, however. And I'm proud to announce that "Paul Bunyan Telephone Company" is providing them with cable televsion. Doesn't that sound like a joke? Nope, it's real. :)
Friday, March 27, 2009
And Noah thought his flood was big?
These last twenty-four hours or so have been absolutely ridiculous. James and I tried evacuating yesterday before dinner, but got stuck in a blizzard before we even made it to Fergus. We turned around, headed back to Moorhead, and joined our friends in some more last-minute, late-night sandbagging efforts. However, after making it to North Fargo, we received word that campus was evacuating immediately. James and I were fortunate enough to already have our bags packed - we got right back on I-94, which was thankfully cleared up.
Anyway, we ended up in St. Cloud to stay at my uncle's house for the night. This morning, we woke up early and drove down to SE MN. We received an e-mail saying campus is expected to reopen on April 6. Impromptu spring break? Guess so.
I know the flood is nowhere near done - the crest is predicted to arrive on Sunday afternoon. I still have up to ten days of hiding out in Rochester. However, I've learned a few interesting things and had some crazy experiences in the last week.
I never thought I'd
- Eat out of the back of a Red Cross truck for a week
- Be labeled a flood "victim" and evacuate
- Be able to (easily!) lift bags half my weight and consider this part of a normal daily routine
- Wear handbell gloves while filling sandbags
- Wake up in the morning and dress myself entirely from the dirty clothes hamper
- Go for a week without showering, washing my hands, flushing a toilet
Anyway, we ended up in St. Cloud to stay at my uncle's house for the night. This morning, we woke up early and drove down to SE MN. We received an e-mail saying campus is expected to reopen on April 6. Impromptu spring break? Guess so.
I know the flood is nowhere near done - the crest is predicted to arrive on Sunday afternoon. I still have up to ten days of hiding out in Rochester. However, I've learned a few interesting things and had some crazy experiences in the last week.
I never thought I'd
- Eat out of the back of a Red Cross truck for a week
- Be labeled a flood "victim" and evacuate
- Be able to (easily!) lift bags half my weight and consider this part of a normal daily routine
- Wear handbell gloves while filling sandbags
- Wake up in the morning and dress myself entirely from the dirty clothes hamper
- Go for a week without showering, washing my hands, flushing a toilet
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Oh mister sun, sun, mister golden sun. Please shine down on me!
I am proud to say that I have never been particularly materialistic. Physical possessions have had little meaning in my life thus far. The few things I deeply care about carry sentimental value, and even then, I've avoided boasting about their importance.
However, on Sunday, I realized the imminence of the flood concern. We still didn't realize the devastation that was yet to come, but we knew that a flood would shortly be arriving. After consulting with a few friends, I realized that every Target, Walmart, and shoe store in the area was completely sold out of rainboots. I turned to the internet, and saw that stores were pretty much sold out of my size even online (I wear size five...)! Anyway, I decided to settle for some boots from Target. I ordered a size six and paid twenty-five dollars for them, including shipping. That's pretty cheap I guess, but it's a lot for a college kid.
My boots arrived in the mail TODAY and I couldn't be any more stoked. They're a bit big, but that doesn't matter! I'm so pumped to have dry feet. Whether rain, mud, or snow, nothing will get through these boots.
Best twenty-five dollars I've ever spent.
However, on Sunday, I realized the imminence of the flood concern. We still didn't realize the devastation that was yet to come, but we knew that a flood would shortly be arriving. After consulting with a few friends, I realized that every Target, Walmart, and shoe store in the area was completely sold out of rainboots. I turned to the internet, and saw that stores were pretty much sold out of my size even online (I wear size five...)! Anyway, I decided to settle for some boots from Target. I ordered a size six and paid twenty-five dollars for them, including shipping. That's pretty cheap I guess, but it's a lot for a college kid.
My boots arrived in the mail TODAY and I couldn't be any more stoked. They're a bit big, but that doesn't matter! I'm so pumped to have dry feet. Whether rain, mud, or snow, nothing will get through these boots.
Best twenty-five dollars I've ever spent.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Let's go build a dike, up to the highest height.
1) Today was a crabby day. Last night, the city of Fargo announced that only 500 volunteers would be needed today. 95% of the dikes had been built to the level needed - 42 feet. However, around 11:30 a.m. this morning, the engineers announced the new, higher prediction for the crest would mean all of the dikes would need to be raised to 43 feet. This was devastating and heartbreaking news. Entire new neighborhoods that were previously considered safe would now need to start sandbagging. The existing dikes needed to be widened in order to be built taller. So much work to be done!
2) On a lighter note, I look and smell awesome right now. When I woke up this morning, I walked right over to my dirty clothes hamper and pulled out todays outfit. I wore a bajillion layers of clothes - more than I thought possible. I topped it all off by wearing yesterday's shirt inside out. I thought that might make it better...but PSYCH! It was still gross.
3) Joke of the day: How do you make an apple into a squash? Put it on the ground and step on it.
4) Minnesotans are the best! At our last site today, the homeowner, Jan, was the nicest lady in the whole world...for real. Inside her house, she filled her bathtub with hot water and let us take turns coming inside to thaw and soak our feet. She had heating pads plugged in around her garage with chairs next to the outlets for us to warm up for a few minutes.
5) Today's "Punk'd" moment: BLIZZARD! My dorm woke up this morning to a courtyard that looks like something from the book of Revelations. Eight inches of snow! On our way to our first site this morning, we got stuck in the snow and had to get out and push the car. Fargo-Moorhead is under a "no-travel" advisory. Won't be too much of a problem since many of the interstates and big roads are closed - some due to flooding, some due to snow. However, we were able to battle the snow.
No matter the precipitation, we're going to fight.
One day, I hope to tell my grandkids, "We beat the Red River."
2) On a lighter note, I look and smell awesome right now. When I woke up this morning, I walked right over to my dirty clothes hamper and pulled out todays outfit. I wore a bajillion layers of clothes - more than I thought possible. I topped it all off by wearing yesterday's shirt inside out. I thought that might make it better...but PSYCH! It was still gross.
3) Joke of the day: How do you make an apple into a squash? Put it on the ground and step on it.
4) Minnesotans are the best! At our last site today, the homeowner, Jan, was the nicest lady in the whole world...for real. Inside her house, she filled her bathtub with hot water and let us take turns coming inside to thaw and soak our feet. She had heating pads plugged in around her garage with chairs next to the outlets for us to warm up for a few minutes.
5) Today's "Punk'd" moment: BLIZZARD! My dorm woke up this morning to a courtyard that looks like something from the book of Revelations. Eight inches of snow! On our way to our first site this morning, we got stuck in the snow and had to get out and push the car. Fargo-Moorhead is under a "no-travel" advisory. Won't be too much of a problem since many of the interstates and big roads are closed - some due to flooding, some due to snow. However, we were able to battle the snow.
No matter the precipitation, we're going to fight.
One day, I hope to tell my grandkids, "We beat the Red River."
It takes a whole village
If I could envision the end of the world, this is what it would look like: Thousands of homes near destruction, a ridiculous blizzard, people coming from all over to try to stop it, and a flood close to engulfing the whole city.
I woke up feeling like death this morning, and looked out the window to see that Fargo-Moorhead looks like death as well. This has been the first morning that I didn't wake up on top of the world, optimistic to save the town. I'm going to go out there and do it anyways though!
I'm wearing my long underwear with two pairs of pants. I put on a pair of socks, then a plastic bag on each foot, and another pair of socks - just to make sure the water doesn't seep totally through. I'll be wearing winter boots, hat, scarf, and hat!
Team Evap is still going strong.
Bring it on, Red.
I woke up feeling like death this morning, and looked out the window to see that Fargo-Moorhead looks like death as well. This has been the first morning that I didn't wake up on top of the world, optimistic to save the town. I'm going to go out there and do it anyways though!
I'm wearing my long underwear with two pairs of pants. I put on a pair of socks, then a plastic bag on each foot, and another pair of socks - just to make sure the water doesn't seep totally through. I'll be wearing winter boots, hat, scarf, and hat!
Team Evap is still going strong.
Bring it on, Red.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
What the heck, flood?
We didn't have room in the truck for all of us, so the guys decided to follow us running!
This GIANT hill of mud was fun to slide down.Not so much fun to carry sandbags down.
We were a bored while waiting for a bus on Monday.So we started creeping...as you can see here.
"What the heck, flood!?"I went to bed at 9 p.m. tonight but woke up at 10:00 to a text message from our campus emergency notification system saying we actually don't have class tomorrow.
Over three hundred students joined a Facebook group saying they would send e-mails to Dean Krejci requesting to have class canceled tomorrow. I didn't join the Facebook revelution, but I certainly sent a polite request to Dr. Krejci. Evidently our requests worked!
Anyway, I've been wide awake since I woke up at 10:00 p.m. I guess my body's just not quite used to going to bed so early...crazy! I posted pictures from yesterday, so I hope you enjoy them. :)
Concordia = letdown
After seven hours of sandbagging!James, Anna, Andrew, Seana, Lucy, Stephen
Walking around to random houses asking if anyone needs help.In the distance on the right you can see one of the many sandbag-filling sites.
Our first site today: Rachel's uncle's friend's house.This is the first section of our zipper-line to pass sandbags along.
It extended three times this length around the back of the house.
The pile of sandbags to move was as tall as me and a block long...
Here's the partially-constructed dike.We extended it the length of the block...yowsers!
Random thought of the moment: Trying to eat was interesting tonight. We were in so much pain that we could barely pick up our plates to carry them through the dinner line.
Anyway, Concordia decided not to cancel class tomorrow. I am thoroughly disappointed. Though I'm not sure it would have been the best idea, I certainly would have sandbagged all day tomorrow if class wasn't being held. Bummer. I guess Team Evac vs. Red River will be put on hold for a while - it will have to be up to MSUM/NDSU (oh and we met volunteers from St. Cloud and Bismarck today!). So I suppose best of luck to them! Wish we could be out there fighting too.
I posted some pictures to lighten the mood! Well, sort of... :)
As I went down to the river to sandbag
I'm not even sure where to start with this one - it hurts just to type. My fingertips, wrists, elbows, etc. Oh well! This morning, we seem to have hit what we're referring to as the "Pain Threshold." We're in so much pain that it can't possibly get any worse, so we'll just keep chugging along.
Team Evac started the morning with breakfast at 8:15 a.m. We were twelve members strong. As a group, we headed over to Rachel's uncle's friend's house in southern Fargo. Soon, we two busloads of high schoolers arrived to help us - over 120 of us total. In the next four hours, we built a dike along the entire coul-de-sac. We formed countless zipper-lines and emptied zillions of truckloads of sandbags, it was intense!
At this house, we started to witness the emotions that are accompanying the flood. The houseowner, Jay, was one of the most upbeat, fantastic people I have come across in ages. He eventually took control, and we learned how much easier it is to have one person doling out directions than for everyone to shout out their own suggestions. We also noticed that the age difference among volunteers at this site was a difficulty. I'd guess the youngest volunteer was eight, and the oldest was sixty. Those at each end of the spectrum tired quickest and consequently grew grumpy and crabby. By 1:00 p.m., Team Evac decided to leave the site. We realized the negative atmosphere was bringing us all down and a change of environment would be best.
We drove back to Moorhead and parked at Concordia. By now, we were down to six people. We decided just to start walking towards the river and find somewhere to help. Each house we stopped at was incredibly grateful and put us to work. I was impressed to see how each person in the community was able to help. Many houses set card tables at the end of their driveways, piled high with water bottles and sandwiches. While sandbagging from 9-4 today I ate more food than I probably eat in two normal days. For the most part, everyone we met was ridiculously kind and grateful. I made so many friends today, and I really wish I would have another chance to talk to these people again!
However, today was an awesome affirmation that I have the best friends in the entire world. The bags we worked with today were filled with twice as much sand as the ones yesterday. I was unable to carry these myself, and if someone handed one to me I would either fall over or drop it. My friends helped me figure out a way where I could team up with someone else or they could just skip me in the line when a heavy bag came along. Even when I dropped bags, never once did I hear a single word about the inconvenience I was causing. I'm so thankful for my patient friends!
Anyway, we all came back to campus exhausted and took quick showers. I didn't even make it to my room before I decided I needed to just take off my clothes in the hallway. Thank goodness we don't have co-ed dorms! When I finally did shower, I realized the water smells even worse than yesterday...gross. They've asked us to either not shower or take quick ones though, so I even turned off the wather while washing my hair. We've also been asked to avoid flushing toilets and to not wash clothes...Mmmm!
Anyway, MSUM and NDSU have already cancelled class for the rest of the week, and I will honestly be embarassed if Concordia doesn't do so as well. I'll keep you updated and will post pictures later!
Team Evac started the morning with breakfast at 8:15 a.m. We were twelve members strong. As a group, we headed over to Rachel's uncle's friend's house in southern Fargo. Soon, we two busloads of high schoolers arrived to help us - over 120 of us total. In the next four hours, we built a dike along the entire coul-de-sac. We formed countless zipper-lines and emptied zillions of truckloads of sandbags, it was intense!
At this house, we started to witness the emotions that are accompanying the flood. The houseowner, Jay, was one of the most upbeat, fantastic people I have come across in ages. He eventually took control, and we learned how much easier it is to have one person doling out directions than for everyone to shout out their own suggestions. We also noticed that the age difference among volunteers at this site was a difficulty. I'd guess the youngest volunteer was eight, and the oldest was sixty. Those at each end of the spectrum tired quickest and consequently grew grumpy and crabby. By 1:00 p.m., Team Evac decided to leave the site. We realized the negative atmosphere was bringing us all down and a change of environment would be best.
We drove back to Moorhead and parked at Concordia. By now, we were down to six people. We decided just to start walking towards the river and find somewhere to help. Each house we stopped at was incredibly grateful and put us to work. I was impressed to see how each person in the community was able to help. Many houses set card tables at the end of their driveways, piled high with water bottles and sandwiches. While sandbagging from 9-4 today I ate more food than I probably eat in two normal days. For the most part, everyone we met was ridiculously kind and grateful. I made so many friends today, and I really wish I would have another chance to talk to these people again!
However, today was an awesome affirmation that I have the best friends in the entire world. The bags we worked with today were filled with twice as much sand as the ones yesterday. I was unable to carry these myself, and if someone handed one to me I would either fall over or drop it. My friends helped me figure out a way where I could team up with someone else or they could just skip me in the line when a heavy bag came along. Even when I dropped bags, never once did I hear a single word about the inconvenience I was causing. I'm so thankful for my patient friends!
Anyway, we all came back to campus exhausted and took quick showers. I didn't even make it to my room before I decided I needed to just take off my clothes in the hallway. Thank goodness we don't have co-ed dorms! When I finally did shower, I realized the water smells even worse than yesterday...gross. They've asked us to either not shower or take quick ones though, so I even turned off the wather while washing my hair. We've also been asked to avoid flushing toilets and to not wash clothes...Mmmm!
Anyway, MSUM and NDSU have already cancelled class for the rest of the week, and I will honestly be embarassed if Concordia doesn't do so as well. I'll keep you updated and will post pictures later!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Infloodenza Virus?
A few random thoughts:
Heading out at 9 a.m. tomorrow for another day of sandbagging.
Having a sauna, movie, and back massage party tonight.
I'm starting to understand why my parents always called my rolled-up jeans "flood pants."
The flu is going around and a bunch of my friends are vomiting. The sewers are all starting to overflow onto the streets. Prexy's Pond is drained and thus a pile of mud. I feel like this is God's sick and twisted idea of a joke. "Let's see how many disgusting things can happen all at once!"
:/
Heading out at 9 a.m. tomorrow for another day of sandbagging.
Having a sauna, movie, and back massage party tonight.
I'm starting to understand why my parents always called my rolled-up jeans "flood pants."
The flu is going around and a bunch of my friends are vomiting. The sewers are all starting to overflow onto the streets. Prexy's Pond is drained and thus a pile of mud. I feel like this is God's sick and twisted idea of a joke. "Let's see how many disgusting things can happen all at once!"
:/
Sandbag Central
Concordia cancelled classes for Monday and Tuesday, so we went out volunteering all day today. We started out with breakfast at 10:00 a.m. James and I quickly realized we'd be needing gloves and bandanas so we went to Walgreens to get supplies for the group. By the time we made it back to campus, we had thirteen more friends coming with. We headed over to Park Region, where Concordia was shuttling students to Sandbag Central at MSUM. There, we registered with FEMA and got in line for the city busses to take us to sites. Over five hundred students were waiting in line with us, so we weren't actually able to make it to a site until noon.
Once we arrived at our first site (a grocery store parking lot), we started making sandbags and loading them into trucks to deliver to houses. Our system was great by the end - we had sixty people, so it took a while to get the groove. However, we had all sorts of lines to pass the sandbags along, knew just how many shovelfuls of sand we needed in each bag, etc. We filled countless trucks, it was crazy.
One family came and asked if some of us could come help build a dike behind their house. My group of friends (we called ourselves Team Evap, hoping the water would evaporate) piled into the back of the family's pickup and headed out. We drove a few minutes, and arrived at a house a several blocks from the river. However, the river was literally in their backyard. They were racing to finish the dike before tonight - when the water was expected to hit their house.
Before we started, we figured we'd head to the backyard and come up with a plan. We walked about five feet into the yard and realized no grass was left. We were already ankle deep in mud and the ground was sloping downwards. We all slid down the hill toward the river and laughed about how quickly we had gotten dirty.
Anyway, we had to build a wall out of plywood and then line the entire wall ten feet tall with sandbags. Volunteers from our previous site delivered probably twenty pickups of sandbags, which we stacked and stacked and stacked. Our family was super nice - the grandma brought us all kinds of food! Mostly cookies, fruit, and hamburgers (okay, maybe not best for the vegetarian, but it's the thought that counts!).
After six hours, about half of us just gave in. We were shaking and starting to drop bags because we were so exhausted. The granny gave us a ride back to campus and we're all presumably crashing in our dorms right now.
I think tonight I'm going to head over to MSUM and ask if there's anything I can do to help that doesn't involve heavy lifting. Those sandbags are 30+ pounds each - a little ridiculous!
Anyway, I volunteered to do all of my friends' laundry, so I'd best head out and do that. Oh dear!
Above, I posted a couple pictures from yesterday. I'll try to keep uploading them as they come. Pretty scary that the flood level is so terrible today and the crest is still four days away!
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