|
Return to the
Flood Home Page
Wings respond to flooding in a blizzard
Mission Press Release
Contact: Major Don Dalton
Information Officer - Fargo Incident Command
26 March 2009
The North Dakota and Minnesota Wings of Civil Air Patrol
continue their flood fighting efforts fighting along the Red
River that’s inundating many neighborhoods and complete
towns in some instances.
With a deep winter snow pack and 7-inches of fresh snow,
working conditions for the relief efforts were dismal at
best. High winds added to the mix creating blizzard
conditions to contend with as the battle raged.
Throughout the week, area Emergency Management officials
continued pleading for more volunteers. The request was for
2000 volunteers to place 500,000 sand bags to raise the
dikes above the expected flood level of 42 feet. The plan is
to raise the dikes to at least 43 feet. At this time it is
not known if the target height has been reached in all the
effected areas.
With approximately 200 personnel from both Wings and
thousands of hours served, the response from members has
been outstanding.
North Dakota Wing Commander Colonel Karl Altenburg
commented, “We are continuing the fight; the Cadets and
Staff remain focused on the mission of saving Fargo/Moorehead
and the surrounding areas. The enthusiasm displayed by our
members is a shining example of the true dedication to the
mission.”
Operations are continuing on a 24/7 schedule with the Fargo
Dome being the primary point for building sandbags. 2d Lt
Donald Raleigh from the Anoka County Composite Squadron
said, “ I worked along side of college students and World
War II Veterans. They were people from all walks of life
pitching in to help complete strangers and neighbors alike.
The experience restored my faith in humanity”.
Raleigh added, “ The sandbag assembly effort inside the
Fargo Dome was organized chaos, hundreds of people elbow to
elbow, front-end loaders running back and forth, semi trucks
delivering sand, forklifts running all over moving filled
sand bags. I was amazed by the effort.”
It has now come to light that some other areas of Minnesota
are beginning to flood. With that information in hand, the
mission continues.
--30--
Return to the
Flood Home Page |
