Moorhead is in Need of More Volunteers as Sandbag Operations Kickoff

They have a goal of producing 150,000 sandbags

MOORHEAD, Minn. —  It’s day one of operations in Moorhead as they join Fargo and Cass County in the sandbagging efforts.

Sandbagging is nothing new for some volunteers.

“I grew up doing this. I’m from a town in southern Minnesota where two rivers meet, and as early as elementary school I remember getting out of school to go through sandbags. It’s just always a way of life, something we grew up with,” Ryan Sandven said.

The rising water certainly hits close to home.

“I have had several close friends and family members– they’ve been out the overnights making sure pumps are running and dykes are standing up so I have seen people get hit first hand,” he said.

Those like Sandven are helping the city of Moorhead get to at least 50 volunteers per hour. The goal is to fill 150,000 sandbags. That’s compared to 2.5 million in 2009.

“We’ve done a lot in flood mitigation projects in the last decade so we’re sitting a lot better, but we still need to reach this goal of 150,000 sandbags,” Leann Wallin, community policing coordinator, said.

Moorhead High School is sending students, and the city hopes colleges will send groups too.

“We hope excitement is churning,” Wallin said.

It may not seem like preparing for a flood is exciting, but Sandven says sandbagging brings back some fond memories from 2009.

“I hate to say it but there’s nothing like a good flood to bring the community together. It’s not a great way to look at it, wish we didn’t have them all the time, but it’s a positive thing just to see people come out and be there for their neighbors,” he said.

Sandbagging operations will go on every day for a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday at the Moorhead Public Schools Operations Center.