The Royce Files

 I spent part of Wednesday last week making sandbags in preparation for flood season. It appears we are in for another major flood by all forecasts. Sandbag central was bustling. Mostly full of the younger folks but there were some older ones there too. Operations were in full swing. It looked as if there were about 4 spider devices running. I jumped right in and it all came back to me- how to get the bag open and quickly get it under the chute to get the sand. It was a real fun atmosphere. They gave incoming volunteers Hawaiian lais and stickers if they so wished to wear them. Organization was spit spot. My friends and I were only there for a little over an hour then the operations stopped for the evening. Approximately 115K sandbags were made. Just a few hundred thousand more until they reach 2 million total. There was a record volunteer turnout the day before. I was hoping to do more on Friday or the weekend, but sandbagging seemed to be meeting their goals and they closed ...

It would have been heroic if the Mayor gave a stirring speech and urged us to volunteer by concluding with those lines- "Let us begin to fight." The pre-emptive strike on the waters of the Red River of the North began on Valentine's Day with the opening of sandbagging operations. The river is mostly frozen solid now. There was a week of warmer weather after that week. But then winter re-asserted its position and put us back into the freezer. As March approached it looked like a warming trend would return. However, it again was upended by winter and powerful winds. Yesterday, there was a  record volunteer  turn out at sandbag central in Fargo: a little over 800. Moorhead did not fare as well. The city on the east bank just started sandbagging, but only a handful of volunteers turned up. Forecasters have predicted a major flood based on the amount of moisture in the snowpack. It has been a rather snowy winter. 8 foot snow banks were common along ...

Over 3 million of these sandbags helped to fend off the rising waters of the Red River of the North. They sit here waiting to be deployed, to keep back the river, to hold firm the banks.

A slight haze hung over the field, but this was not pyrotechnic. No, this was fine sand particles hanging in the air inside the Fargo Dome. Since 8 AM on Sunday, Fargoans and others have rejoined their efforts to increase the city sandbag supply. People from all walks of life and numerous nations gave of their time and energy to complete the task. I joined them Sunday evening. Not wanting to expend gasoline, I biked up the street to the dome. Arriving at 5PM I found the floor of the dome to be crowded and chaotic. How on earth was I going to lend a helping hand when it seemed there were some many hands helping already. I watched and waited for a few minutes in the stands. There were other who were doing the same (or so I thought.) Finally I wafted my way to the floor and looked for a place to help. Nothing. Finally I went to the west side and began to pile empty sandbags with 2 junior high girls (or so I thought they were.) At last I spied a job. Piling the bags on the pallet. Who kne...

Further narrative of my time fighting the Red River flood in Fargo. I settled down for a few minutes after returning from my earlier foray sandbagging in South Fargo. The phone rang just after I devoured an Extreme Pita. A CodeRed was issued to gather volunteers to increase the height of the main earthen dike just south of downtown. I a couple of moments I revived my wardrobe with some warmer attire and headed east about a half mile to the dike by foot. Hundred of citizens had already gathered and were heaving the sandbags up the dike. I joined the fight immediately and met up with some co-workers. Earlier in the day while I was waiting, the crest forecast had risen to to something between 41' to 43'. Most of the dikes in town would need to increased especially the first line of defense along the Red River. The Island Park Dike only can contain about 41' from my recollections. At least 2' would need to be added to ensure security. The weather was not very cooperative. ...

More narrative of my time embedded with the Fargo volunteer flood fighters on March 26 A plea for more volunteers swelled the flood fighter numbers drastically. With the system stressed by the larger turnouts, there was much waiting and confusion. Squads of Carhart clad volunteers sat on bleachers in the Assembly of God volunteer center eating and hoping to get out there to help. Buses were lining up outside. Some returned workers to the Fargo Dome and others took volunteers to possible work sites. I had been riding the bus most of the day and each time I got to the site the whole bus was told to return because there were too many workers. As the sun began to set, I boarded another bus bound for some dike in south Fargo. On that bus I met up with a man who just arrived from Omaha with a friend from Hong Kong. Based on some phone calls made to the Red Cross hotline, Doug was unsure if he should make the trip. Nevertheless, Red Cross called him back and gave him to go ahead. We arrived ...

F argo flood fighters of all shapes, ages, and races were in force last evening. However college aged certainly outnumbered most at the central sandbagging centre. I volunteered from 8 to almost mid night on the sandbag production line. The night started at the Fargo Dome where I need to sign a volunteer waiver. Afterward I waited for a few minutes and then bordered a city bus which took a stand room only crowd to an undisclosed location (public works garage) to bag sand. I then followed a person in a vest into the facility and was placed near a sand spout on the "spider." I thought I snapped a picture but I didn't. The apparatus directs the incoming sand to 12 spouts where there is usually a team of 3-4. One puts the bag on then when full passes it onto another who will fasten it. Yet another will put the next bag on. There were 3 "spiders" in operation last night in addition to numerous shovelers, lifters, and stackers. The Red Cross was on hand with food. I ...