Fargo Flood: 04.02.09 Red Cross Effort

This afternoon I headed to Veterans Memorial Arena in West Fargo (connected to the high school) to photograph the ongoing relief efforts of the Red Cross.

I probably could have spent the entire day (or a couple days there) with all that was going on. The people, who have driven or flown in from all over the country, were completely gracious and kept very busy.


An overview of the arena.


Red Cross Volunteers Dan Haus of Dickson, Ill., left, and Matt Blair of New York City, sort donations.


Ellie Martin, Monterey, Calif., put a few last donation items in a plastic bin that will be moved to the next disaster location.






Marilee Harrison, Siletz Ore., left, and Jessie Alaniz, Des Moines, Iowa, spot a voulenteer who has just landed a plane ticket home. Many of the voulenteers have been in the Fargo-Moorhead area since last week and will be headed home within the next few days.


Mike Hennessey, wearing a green sweatshirt, leads a quick Americorps meeting to discuss their next destination. Their chapter is based out of Denver, Colo.


Red Cross Volunteer Lauren Miller, Norfolk, Neb., cleans a table at the canteen area of the headquarters. This is Miller's third disaster location.

Fargo Flood: 03.26.09 in the early PM

Captions to come tomorrow morning.

Fargo Dome:
















Water Treatment Plant, south Fargo:

Fargo Flood: 03.26.09 in the AM

I went out again this morning to photograph photos of the Fargo flood fight. I plan to go out again after I post his blog, so expect more photographs later.

Volunteers at Nemzek Field House at MSUM were helping with registration and food distribution this morning.




MSUM employee Peg O'Neil fills baggies with cookies and donuts which will be distributed to sandbaggers.

Photos from River Drive in South Fargo:





Grant Nelson, right, of Fargo, catches a sandbag while helping build the dike wall on River drive.


Chad Jansen, left, of Cambridge, Minn., catches a sandbag thrown by Jason Fiedler of Stanford, Minn., while building a dike on River Drive in South Fargo.










Meadow Creek in South Fargo:










Kari Hugualet, a resident of the Rosecreek neighborhood in Fargo, passes along a sandbag while building a dike in Meadow Creek in South Fargo.


NDSU student Ryan Nagel helps pass sandbags along in Meadow Creek in South Fargo.


Meadow Creek home owner John Strinden catches a sandbag while building a dike behind his home in south Fargo.

Collegues Photographing the Flood

Dave Arntson: www.davearntson.com
Penny Burns: pennyburns.blogspot.com
Bruce Crummy: www.brucecrummyphotography.com
Ann Arbor Miller: annarborphoto.blogspot.com

I'll post more links as I get them. Dave has been out there everyday, and knowing Bruce Crummy, he's probably been out there too. I plan to stay in today (dealing with our own flooding problems, lack of sleep and work that needs to be done at Milestones) but I'll return tomorrow to document more of the flood fight.

I'll leave you with a detail from yesterday.

Fargo Flood: 03.24.09

View from Moorhead Center Mall






Miranda Ostergarden of Fargo, right, and Kari Larson of Moorhead, view the appending flood from the Moorhead Center Mall Parking Ramp.


12th Avenue Bridge

Mikkelson Park earth dike in north Fargo







Oak Grove Lutheran School student Emily Hest, left, helps with the sandbagging effort at a home across the street from her school.


Oak Grove Lutheran School students participate in sandbagging efforts across the street from their school.


Oak Grove Lutheran School student Gabe Samuelson helps with the sandbagging effort near Oak Grove in north Fargo.


Concordia student Jake Johnson, right, and Gabe Samuelson, student of Oak Grove Lutheran School, aid in the sandbagging effort across the street from Oak Grove.




Troy Deleon, left, and John Tandberg helps with lay sandbags at a home near Oak Grove Lutheran School in north Fargo.


Troy Deleon helps lay sandbags at home near Oak Grove Lutheran School in north Fargo.


A chair props up a drainage pipe at a home in Oakport Township north of Moorhead.


Concordia student Courtney Paulson, St. Paul, Minn., helps fill sandbags at a home in Oakport Township north of Moorhead.


Workers dig clay for earth dikes in Oakport Township north of Moorhead.


Oak Grove students Paul Spilde, right, and Charlie Schirado help fill sandbags in Oakport Township north of Moorhead.


Ron Ostermann lays sandbags around his home in Oakport Township north of Moorhead.


Home owner Ron Ostermann, left, and Todd Fuchs of West Fargo, lay sandbags around Ostermann's home in Oakport Township north of Moorhead.


In Oakport Township north of Moorhead.