15 years ago

[darell1976]

http://www.grandforksherald.com/even...cle/id/234785/

Fifteen years ago today, on Saturday, April 19, 1997, a fire broke out in downtown Grand Forks that soon spread to three blocks — despite several feet of floodwater in the area as the Red River continued to climb. Here’s what happened according to the Herald:

• The city ordered the evacuation of all of grand Forks east of Washington Street at 10 a.m., and at 11 a.m., UND President Kendall Baker called off school for the rest of the semester, two weeks before finals. It meant no more baseball, track or softball for UND athletics, only weeks after the men’s hockey and women’s basketball teams had won national championships.

• About half of Grand Forks and virtually all of East Grand Forks were flooded by noon, and by 1 p.m., Riverside Park was filled with floodwater while Central High School in downtown Grand Forks was inundated with water.

More than 50,000 evacuees flocked to shelters in Mayville, N.D., Thompson, N.D., Crookston and Grand Forks Air Force Base, as well as other surrounding towns and homes of friends and relatives.

A piece of history that I would love to forget it ever happened. The worst times of my life. I was a refugee at my brother's apartment in Richfield, MN (suburb of Minneapolis) for a month while this went on as I was not allowed to stay in Grand Forks. My parents were evacuated as they had 45 minutes to leave their home and head to Emerado, ND (near the GF AFB). Their home (and mine to as I was still living at home) ended up with over 5 feet of water in the basement while my best friend lost his whole neighborhood in East Grand Forks...and as the article said just weeks before me and him attended the National Title game of UND's women's basketball team their first ever title. The wierdest feeling was when i returned to help clean up I was driving down University Ave. in the heart of UND and not seeing one single person or car, just empty. It was tough cleaning up the mud, soaked remains of my childhood, my mom's wedding dress, and old pictures that my parents kept in their basement. I thought the drinking water from cans (thanks Salvation Army/Red Cross and donations) was bad but driving down the street to use a porta potty because GF had no sewage was worse. I just hope no city ever has to go through this mess....ever!!!

[fightingsioux4life]

Couldn't agree more. Me, my mom and our cat were forced to go to Minot to stay with relatives while my dad (who worked at the City Health Department) worked almost 24 hours at a time at the Emergency Operations Center. Our basement was flooded, but nothing else was lost. I also was grateful for the Salvation Army and Red Cross for their help in making life somewhat livable. Those meals weren't bad!

The silver lining in this is that Grand Forks was able to reinvent downtown, which had become very dumpy up until the flood. Now it's a major attraction for people in Grand Forks and the region.

[darell1976]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wcXMg_qdEU&feature=relmfu

This is what I watched on tv from my brother's apartment. And I thought Central was going to catch fire.