Ruminating
We're back,safe and sound, and happy to nestle into our own house again. I've spent the day unpacking suitcases, putting things away, doing laundry, and teaching lots of students. I have many neat pictures and stories to share about our trip to North Dakota, but I can't seem to focus very well today, because I seem to be preoccupied with the flooding in Valley City, hoping and praying that all of our family and friends there stay safe and sound, and that all of their property remains dry.
Our time there was a frenzy of fun family activities and hasty flood preparations. We tried to help as much as possible, but were limited by needing to take care of the kidlets and not always having the right kind of skills.
During the middle of our stay in Valley City, we got word that the bridges to Grandma Kathy's house were going to go under. Her house is high and dry, but in order not to become trapped on an island, we needed to move out, so we evacuated all of our things, and what Greg's mom needed for the next couple of weeks (including all the food for Easter). We moved into another house that belongs to family who were away for Easter and due back Monday.
In the above picture you can see the bridge to Grandma Kathy's house the morning after we evacuated. There were about 8 inches of water over it that morning. They were still allowing residents to drive back and forth, but by the next morning there were a couple of feet of water over the road, and now several more feet.
Other family members in the flood plain also had to move out Easter Sunday, and today there were more evacuations orders. Auntie Dot emerged from the Wilderness today, and quickly did all her laundry here in Minnesota before zipping home to help pack up her apartment and move as much out as possible.
It was quite a sight. The river has never been higher. There was water and mud everywhere. Helicopters were dumping giant bags of sand to plug holes in the dikes. We left when the river was at 19 feet. It's several feet higher today, and rising.
So we sit in Northern Minnesota, feeling a bit helpless.
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One Comment
Siri
I’ve been wondering about you, how your trip was, how your family in Valley City is etc. It’s crazy, isn’t it? Mayville is fine, but there is so much flooding all around us….it is just unbelievable. Does everyone have a place to live for the intermediate time? Let me know if they need a place, maybe we could work something out at the cabin.