I was going through some pictures on my dad's camera and found these. They were taken during the flood this spring. I was running through my parent's neighborhood this summer, and although many people have replanted their yards and tried to repair, there are still many signs of the damage done this spring. Sidewalks are buckled, fences were torn apart to allow way for the floodwall, dirt paths and patches are beginining to sprout grass. I was visitng with a neighbor who is new to Fargo, and he was amazed that people whose houses were perfectly safe (on the other side of the double dikes) would sign up for overnight shifts of water/pump patrol. Even the FEMA representative commented to him about the initiation and independence the community showed in preparing and protecting their city.
Anyone want to build a sandbox? This is the first load of sandbags that were brought in for the dikes being built along the river.
Volunteers building the wall in my parent's and their neighbors yard. The wall would eventually be about 5 feet tall. The Fargo-Moorhead area estimated over 100,00 people volunteered in the flood fight. 3.5 million sandbags were filled.
Nothing like a snowstorm in March to set you back. You can see the wall and the river in the back yard.
Moving to higher ground. With a dike being built in the back, along the river, and in front, through the street, my parents needed to move everything out of their basement. My dad and brother chose to stay at the house and help run pumps and dike patrol for their neighbors. They brought in food storage and generators, just in case.
The war zone that was my parent's front yard and driveway.
This is a picture of the dike that was built in front of their house. The brick mailbox is my parents. A staircase was built over the wall, so people could access their homes if necessary.
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