In this edition of his flood diary, Reverend Craig Hanson says he is feeling mixed emotions as flooding continues in the Red River Valley.
Reverend Craig Hanson lives on the banks of the Red River in Fargo. In the previous week, we heard Hanson tell us how he was feeling good after the apparent crest of the Red River. The seven days since have been hard as he and his neighbors on the banks of the Red found the fight was not over and the waters continued to rise.
The Red River flood of 1997 was a major flood that occurred in April and May 1997 along the Red River of the North in Minnesota, North Dakota, and southern Manitoba. The flood was the result of abundant snowfall and extreme temperatures. It was the most severe flood of the river since 1826. Water spread throughout the Red River Valley and affected the cities of Fargo and Winnipeg…but the greatest impact was in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks, where floodwaters reached more than 3 miles inland. Damages in the Red River region totaled $3.5 billion. As a result of the 1997 flood and its extensive property losses, the United States and state governments made additional improvements to the flood protection system in North Dakota and Minnesota, creating dike systems.
Transcripts
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SPEAKER: It is Friday, April 20. And I say that not just for those who might be listening and wondering when this is being taped, but I also say it for my own sake. Because after a while, it seems as though all the days and the hours and the minutes just run together, and those of us who have been on this long vigil along the river here and along our dikes, keeping the water back, find ourselves asking every once in a while, what day is today? And that becomes almost a more often asked question than how high is the river? Or how are you doing?
But we are, all in all, figuring out what day it is and hoping that the days move by quickly. My voice, I think, just partly from wear and tear on the body and stress and all those kind of things continues to just hang on by a thread. But my spirits are very much uplifted.
It is a beautiful morning. The sun is shining and lots of loving, caring people. I find myself being moved to tears every once in a while. And I used to do it with some sense of being ashamed for doing it in front of people. But I have quickly lost that because I am just moved by all the kindness, the generosity, the wonderful people that keep showing up and doing great things.
And my tears, as I tell people, are not about defeat or sadness, but just being moved by the overwhelming kindness and compassion and love of a community that is holding together quite well.
Numbers don't mean a whole lot at this point, when people ask us, what's the river level at? Or how here's your dike? I say, it really doesn't matter. It's a matter of, how long will everything last? And these dikes that are made out of sandbags are not made to last for three and four or five weeks at a time, but it seems like it may be a real test of that.
The spirit up and down the neighborhood seems to be one of wavering sometimes. But all in all, I think it's still got a good solid foundation. When there are crises, leaks in the dike, break somewhere, people respond accordingly. As I speak now, we're huddling together with our neighbors and having a cup of coffee and a bagel, and looking out over the river and basking in some nice sunshine on a nice morning. And we find that that holding together is making a big difference in how our spirits stay afloat.
All in all, we remain very optimistic and trust that this thing will soon subside. Until then, we know we are held in the thoughts and prayers of many which has sustained us greatly.