FARGO, N.D. – It was all hands on deck in Fargo, N.D., on Wednesday as “sandbag central” opened its doors.
The meeting place for sandbag-filling operations opened at around 8 a.m. Its first group of volunteers was 300 students from Discovery Middle School.
The city is hoping one million sandbags will be filled over the 10-day volunteer blitz. The U.S. National Weather Service has told the city to prepare for a top-five flood event.
The city’s mayor said winter’s hold on North Dakota is creating optimism because it’s slowing down the spring thaw.
“What we’re waiting for is the melt to actually begin,” Dennis Walaker said. “It sounds like there will be a couple days this week that will get up to still freezing at night. That’s really good.”
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Vern Bennett, a commissioner for Cass County, said his area has been devastated by flooding in the past. At a press conference Wednesday, he added his voice to a call for federal help building flood-protection infrastructure in North Dakota.
“We are ready for the flood. That does not mean we will have victory,” Bennett said. “In order to have a win, we need permanent flood protection.”
Fargo has two spider machines to help with the sandbagging efforts and nearly 15,000 tonnes of sand will be used. The city hopes to fill 18,000 sandbags per hour.
Walaker has been told to expect the Red River to crest in Fargo in the middle of April, he said.
Organizers hope 300 volunteers will gather to help prepare for expected flooding this spring.
The plan is make one million sandbags in 10 days to protect the North Dakota city, which doesn’t have permanent flood-protection infrastructure.
Fargo has been warned to expect the Red River to crest in mid-April and the U.S. National Weather Service has warned the city to prepare for a Top 5 flood.
Fargo flood preparations by the numbers
In order to fill one million sandbags, Fargo officials are asking for 300 volunteers a day for 10 days. They’ll need 13,600 tonnes of sand.
Equipment being used at the sandbag-building facility includes:
- three spider machines manufactured in Winnipeg (two owned by the City of Fargo, one by the county)
- three conveyors that feed sand into spider (two owned by the city, one rented by the county)
- three material placers that dump sand onto the belts, which then feed the spiders
- two front-end loaders
- two skid-steer loaders
- 12 forklifts
- 12 semi-trucks to deliver sandbag pallets
- 5,000 pallets to hold filled bags
- 36 wire-tie guns (to tie bags)
- Sand piles and shovels
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