fargo

There's another storm blowing outside my door today, and I'm tempted to grumble and feel picked on. Then my Inner Grown Up says, Shut Up! Have you seen the news lately, you twit? There's disastrous weather all over the country!

I got a note from my sister's in-laws yesterday. They live in Fargo.
Reading this up close and way too personal view of the situation, I can't help feeling that the media is playing the whole thing down, and I wonder why...
I'm at a loss as to how to help. I don't think there's much we can do from this distance at the moment, except to send all the prayers, light, love - call it what you like - that we can. Here's the letter...

Hi all,

I know most of you have been watching the Natonal News and know pretty much what is going on around here. Believe me, when I say it's much worse than you can imagine. We are thankful we moved to West Fargo nine years ago as so far we are high and dry. They have put a restriction on the city roads for emergency vehicles so we are all pretty much housebound. Homeland Security asked to have Fargo evacuated last night but the city officials are not going to do that yet, although many people have had to leave their sandbagged home because their dikes failed. One couple who lost their home in the flood of '97 had to leave again three days ago and later that night the house burned down. So sad. Malls and stores have been closed for a week and there will not be school even here in West Fargo all of next week. I have to say the City Council, etc. have really been very good with the planning of this flood protection. So many people in this area have horses and now we have over 150 horses housed in the fairgrounds just west of us. Also, they are taking in all pets at the fairgrounds for people who have had to evacuate. They have hundreds of pets already, as hotels, etc,. are not able to take them.

Our river is normally 14 feet high and today we are at 40 feet. It normally travels at 4 miles an hour and today it is travelling at 14 miles an hour with ice chunks on it. We are suppose to have a snow storm moving in tomorrow with another 6 inches of snow. Will it ever stop. Also we are expecting high winds which will put white caps on the water which will not be good for the dikes. Sandbags will only hold up so many days before theystart taking on water and leaking. We have 5 blackhawk helicopters here that have been rescuing people and today they are going to start dropping 100 lb. sandbags. Last night Oak Grove Lutheran school lost their fight as their permanent cement dike starting shooting out water in a 4 foot opening. They lost this campus in the "97 flood and rebuilt everything with this permanent dike up to 40 feet thinking they would be safe forever.

We have offered our home to people in Fargo if they do have to evacuate and yesterday we went over to the Sunmart store, just 2 blocks away from us to pick up some extra food and the shelves are almost empty. Water has covered a lot of both I29 and I94 so evacuating 120 thousand people will not be easy. Say a prayer, we need it. Betty