First Person: 'Sand Bag Jam' Unites Siouxland in Preparation for Flooding
Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota Prep for Missouri River Flood 2011
Members of several Siouxland communities gathered Tuesday night at the Long Lines Family Rec Center in Sioux City, Iowa, to fill sandbags in preparation for the impending Missouri River flood of 2011.
Under sunny evening skies less than a mile from the flooding riverfront, over 200 volunteers divided into two shifts participated in the "Sand Bag Jam." The event, coordinated by the City of Sioux City, is the first of several similar events being planned as Siouxland communities in the tri-state region prepare for rising flood waters.
Four bagging stations lined the east end of the parking lot. Dump trucks filled with sand made periodic deliveries as adults, teenagers and even toddlers helped fill the bags.
The American Red Cross provided cold beverages and music for the volunteers.
As one young mother shoveled sand into the bagging station, her three toddler-aged children used their hands as scoops.
"They wanted to help too," she said.
The sandbags are scheduled for delivery to the Sioux City waterfront and the neighboring communities of Dakota Dunes, South Dakota and South Sioux City, Neb.
Last week, Siouxland leaders were notified of the impending flood that will affect the Missouri River basin. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is scheduled to open spillways at dams along the Missouri River in the coming weeks as part of a controlled flood. Winter snow melt and heavy spring rains have contributed to the full reservoirs.
Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Missouri and Idaho are expected to be affected by the Missouri River flooding, according to a Reuters news report Monday. Smaller rivers that feed off the Missouri will also rise, causing additional flooding in Midwestern communities.
The Inundation Maps released by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers show the potential path of flood waters along the Missouri River. Sioux City is expecting flood waters to rise between the river and Interstate 29.
While volunteers participated in the sandbagging event, crews worked to build a dirt levee around the Hilton Garden Inn along the riverfront. In addition to the hotel, The Argosy Casino, Iowa Welcome Center, Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and The Betty Strong Encounter Center are expected to be inundated by flood waters, according to the maps.
View a photo slide show of the Sand Bag Jam from Tuesday HERE.
Under sunny evening skies less than a mile from the flooding riverfront, over 200 volunteers divided into two shifts participated in the "Sand Bag Jam." The event, coordinated by the City of Sioux City, is the first of several similar events being planned as Siouxland communities in the tri-state region prepare for rising flood waters.
Four bagging stations lined the east end of the parking lot. Dump trucks filled with sand made periodic deliveries as adults, teenagers and even toddlers helped fill the bags.
The American Red Cross provided cold beverages and music for the volunteers.
As one young mother shoveled sand into the bagging station, her three toddler-aged children used their hands as scoops.
"They wanted to help too," she said.
The sandbags are scheduled for delivery to the Sioux City waterfront and the neighboring communities of Dakota Dunes, South Dakota and South Sioux City, Neb.
Last week, Siouxland leaders were notified of the impending flood that will affect the Missouri River basin. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is scheduled to open spillways at dams along the Missouri River in the coming weeks as part of a controlled flood. Winter snow melt and heavy spring rains have contributed to the full reservoirs.
Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Missouri and Idaho are expected to be affected by the Missouri River flooding, according to a Reuters news report Monday. Smaller rivers that feed off the Missouri will also rise, causing additional flooding in Midwestern communities.
The Inundation Maps released by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers show the potential path of flood waters along the Missouri River. Sioux City is expecting flood waters to rise between the river and Interstate 29.
While volunteers participated in the sandbagging event, crews worked to build a dirt levee around the Hilton Garden Inn along the riverfront. In addition to the hotel, The Argosy Casino, Iowa Welcome Center, Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and The Betty Strong Encounter Center are expected to be inundated by flood waters, according to the maps.
View a photo slide show of the Sand Bag Jam from Tuesday HERE.
Published by Angela Tague
Angela Tague has worked in news writing and photography since 1998. After attaining a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Iowa, Tague's journalism career has led to positions at two... View profile
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