March 19, 2010

CHICAGO – Multitudes of volunteers worked for days to prepare for possible flooding along the Red River in the Fargo, N.D.-Moorhead, Minn., area. The river is expected to crest at 38 feet March 21, some 20 feet above flood stage.

They're not the only ones at work, as communities along several rivers in North Dakota are also preparing for possible floods, the result of the annual snow melt. Lutherans and others are working to prevent or limit floods in small communities along Beaver Creek and the James River, said Bonnie Turner, Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota and director, Lutheran Disaster Response North Dakota.

No ELCA congregations, schools, nursing homes or other facilities appear to be in imminent danger of flooding in the Fargo-Moorhead area – for now, she told the News Service of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

In 2009 Oak Grove Lutheran School, Fargo, was seriously damaged by floods. This year students and other volunteers worked to protect the school from a repeat, Turner said. "Students were out working at Oak Grove and in the neighborhood. They were not only protecting their own school, but they were helping their neighbors," she said. The school has organized flood monitoring teams that will check pumps and dikes around the school this weekend.

Volunteers working on both sides of the Red River have placed more than 1 million sandbags to prevent flooding in Fargo-Moorhead. Olivet Lutheran Church, Fargo, established "The Ark," a place for volunteers to rest, have a hot meal and coffee. Olivet will keep its doors open until floodwaters recede.

At the request of local emergency services, LDR may be involved in establishing an evacuation center in Fargo for people who may need help to evacuate the city should the need arise, Turner said.

South of Fargo-Moorhead, where the Red River flows through Wahpeton, N.D.-Breckenridge, Minn., the river has already crested, Turner said. Fargo-Moorhead officials were said to be encouraged by that news, because the Red River flows northward.

Grand Forks is well protected from the Red River thanks to flood prevention work that was done following the devastating 1997 flood, Turner said. It has a permanent levee system that protects the city from floods of up to 60 feet.

"We're kind of in a holding pattern to see what this weekend brings," Turner said. "Some areas southwest of Fargo-Moorhead may not crest for 2 to 3 weeks. It depends on the thaw and any additional precipitation."

For example, farther west in North Dakota, volunteers in communities such as Valley City, Jamestown, LaMoure and Ludden along the James River are preparing to prevent or limit flooding. "We haven't heard of any emergency situations there as far as home flooding goes," Turner said.

Last year, there was a lot of flooding in Linton along Beaver Creek in south-central North Dakota, Turner said. She said officials there are expecting a lower crest this year, "but it's too early to tell what that means to the people there."

Meanwhile, Lutherans met this week at Oak Grove Lutheran School to establish a "Lutheran NETwork" Turner said. The purpose was to organize responses to floods and other natural disasters in North Dakota and western Minnesota, she said. Turner explained that the vision for the network is to respond to needs by establishing a database of volunteers and resources, telephone lists and forming an advisory committee which will shape the overall project. In the future, the network hopes to offer education and preparedness training opportunities.

Among those attending the network meeting were the Rev. Kevin A. Massey, director, LDR and ELCA Domestic Disaster Response, and Michael Nevergall, assistant director, ELCA Domestic Disaster Response, both from Chicago; three synod bishops, including the Rev. Mark E. Narum, ELCA Western North Dakota Synod, Bismarck; the Rev. William E. Rindy, ELCA Eastern North Dakota Synod, Fargo; and the Rev. Lawrence R. Wohlrabe, ELCA Northwestern Minnesota Synod, Moorhead; and district representatives of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

Information about the "Lutheran NETwork" is at http://www.ldrnd.org/, on the Web.

Information about Oak Grove Lutheran School is at http://www.oakgrovelutheran.com/, on the Web.

ELCA News Service