The Red River Flood (documentary)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- Where do you run when your entire city drowns under the rush of floodwaters?
In 1997, the Red River separating Grand Forks, North Dakota, and East Grand Forks, Minnesota, overflowed its banks to historical proportions, necessitating the largest civilian evacuation since the Civil War.
Nominated for 2 regional Emmys/ Winner for Outstanding Writing
Directed by David Kuznicki / Produced by David Kuznicki, Eric Althoff and Brian Katona for Media 523
www.Media523.com
#redriverflood #grandforks #northdakotahistory
My husband was one of the guardsmen who worked day and night during this time. This video was an emotional journey back to that time.
My dad Orlin Anderson was a GF firefighter during this flood. He was one of the ones that found that fire downtown and he was the only one who was in that first building while it was burning. At 30:22 and for a few seconds after you can hear him reply to someone's question, "Nope, I'm sure everybody's outta there". He worked tirelessly day and night, ending up in the hospital from hypothermia, and when he came around he pulled out his IV to get back out to his brothers. This is just one of the reasons why he is my hero.
thankyou for sharing...
@Magen Anderson my Dad was also a firefighter in GF and yes i remember Orlin at the firehall. My Dad was a driver his name was Ernie Ellingson.
My dad was a medic and firefighter. Being a kid, I had no interest in what he did. He might as well been an accountant or something. Now, in my 40s, I kind of feel bad about that. He was never accused of being a kind man, and it's weird to me even now to imagine it. I guess it takes a firm control over one's emotions to be a first responder.
🤣having a flashback to when I passed out in the kitchen cuz he came home for lunch and I didn't want him to know I had been asleep before he got there. I hopped out of bed too fast and passed out a minute later. I woke up to him "Are you od'in in my house?!?" No! "Are you pregnant?!?" NO! "Gyet up!" yanking me up to my feet "get a sandwich or something- and DON'T do that again!" I was like "that mf got the worst bedside manner, how does he not be gettin fired like every day?" 🤔🤣
@@poutinedream5066 I'm so sorry for what happened to you. You deserved better.
That's Pretty Kool. Thnx 2UR Pops!!! 💯❤️🤙😶✌️🇺🇸
I was stationed at GFAFB in 1979, and I still remember that flood of 79 well. A few of us would get off work, change out of our uniforms and go downtown to help with sandbaging and anything we could do to help. I loved being stationed there, I loved the town and loved the people, and the people of GF are very resilient. Being from Florida I hope one day to return
“Grand Forks is necessary. There has to be a city here.”
I understand it’s home for some people. I do. But - I’m sorry, the power that those two rivers wield is mightier than my will would be to make my home there. Sporadic tornadoes are bad enough, and you never know when, where and how bad. But all that snow and ice, rains; all that converge to cause river waters to leave their banks - uh-uh. No. Nope, no way. I don’t have the intestinal fortitude for that. God bless those good people who do.
I live east of the Red outside of Morehead and the sandbagging is a spring tradition that is still going on, we have a overland floor going on now in northern Minnesota!!!! 2022
I lived in Fargo at the time (Grand Forks now) and people came together to sandbag to protect their city. The flood made me proud to grow up in this area as people showed what community means.
The residents are real heroes.
Off topic, but how are the winters in GFK in comparison to Fargo?
What a well rounded, well presented documentary!
Thank you.
We have a home on Reeves. Our home sits just off Lincoln Park. The home sits amongst 4 that sit higher up on the west side of the street. Luckily the only thing that filled was the basement, it was saved. I feel so bad that I can now see the flood wall from my front porch where there used to be a street and neighborhood. We came back as a city.
I was 4 years old when this happened. I remember packing up and goin to my grandparents in Emerado. I live 2 blocks away from the red river now and I wonder every year if 97 could happen again.
Cool! I was there when it happened. Crazy stuff. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for the kind words.
I live near Chicago, where they have the Deep Tunnel Project, which holds approximately 8 billion gallons of water. We also have subsidiary canals that can take excess water. I used to live in Peoria, where the counties along the Illinois River formed a consortium that manages the Illinois River. Deep, empty ravines lie along the flood plain that take the excess water. During the Great Mississippi Flood, no significant flooding occurred. Hopefully Grand Forks and other towns in this situation are taking their cue from Illinois.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure no one died as a direct result of the flooding, but some residents with health issues likely had their conditions exacerbated by the effects of the flood on on healthcare resources, which may have hastened their deaths.
That’s what the documentary mentioned towards the end that no one died! That statement was hard to believe since there were over 50 thousand inhabitants living there back then. Still astonishing!
The documentary could have done a better job describing the red river valley, the flow of the river, and the fast melt that occured that spring. This documentary is all over the place and does not have a logical flow to it. But it does capture some of what happened that year and does a good job conveying the significance of this event.
I remember staying at that airforce base.
I remember swimming down the street in Fargo in 97
Lost our home in this flood. Breckenridge MN
Contrary to what a gentleman said at the beginning of the video, a city does NOT have to be there. If you choose to live in a flood plain, be prepared to pay the price.
No different than living near an active volcano, along a coastline, in an area prone to tornadoes and other storms or in a seismically active area. Humans have historically built settlements near water and other hazards for a reason. Economic viability comes from having those resources nearby. If we wrote off living on any piece of land that could potentially kill us, we'd have ironically died eons ago. You keyboard hysterics seem to forget that stuff.
should have dredged the river and use the material to build banks up or the land
man granforks took a huge hit that yr remember watching the red rise in wpg and how close it came to going over the dike mater of inches befor it started droping. and the insanity of just the volume of water go around winnipeg down the floodway. or the trucks dumping rocks 24/7 at the base of the floodway gates on the red or the vast sea of water as u look south from winnipeg
Been there, Done that, got the shirt.
I remember this well. I was a teenager that winter and it was NUTS. One of the best years for snowmobiling, even to this day. Little did we know what it would turn to be. Thankfully we had family in The Twin Cities. I still jave pictures of The Mississippi in St. Paul by the old train depot being underwater. Its a bus terminal now.
1. This happens all the time. 2. The problem is downstream. Unfortunately, that is not in the USA. :(
I remember when Bill Clitton came in and saved the day!
yea ? I dont ... all i remember is complete corruption that is still alive and well
@@clemclemson9259 I assume you are talking about the grand forks city council. Totally corrupt and for a very long time. They ignored a previous flood of similar proportions that took place 100years earlier. They enabled what were green flood planes to be built on, as developers bribed the construction of dikes to protect the homes. Didn't work too well with this flood. I grew up in grand forks, 1957 till 1984. Every year that river would flood. Just took the right conditions for another big one.
i was there
Spot the draco👹👹👹 biggest crimes against humanity ✌❤❤❤
here we go again... fargo flood 2023
I had to kind of chuckle to myself at the end when they talked about those walls and thinking they can tame mother nature. If that helps them sleep better at night then it's all good.
It's such a shame a great documentary had to be tainted by a clip of that idiot Clinton
-40 is not even close to average lmao
Ruin this good show with Clinton.
same flood 60 miles south to more than 4x the people and we fought it and won. Zero fires. They quit
This was absolutely, one of the best documentaries that I have seen in years. 5 Stars!
Thank you for the kinds words!
I agree! This was very moving. Thank you.
I lived in GF at this time, and I can say it changed me forever. To this day I still watch and keep track of flood season there. Much like this video and others have portrayed, you could not have lived in GF/EGF or even in the red river valley at this time and not be affected. Homes, business's, everything in those places that we used in our daily lives were now gone. I know people were mad at the weather service for the magical increasing crest predictions, but as we know now there were reasons for that. We were just in shock and pain to understand it all. To this day after seeing these videos I am amazed we escaped with no loss of life, especially in the downtown area during the fire, because we know there were people who didnt evacuate when the word was given. This event changed our city so much, GF/EGF was not the same city afterwards. For how could it have been, although I did smile at the segment with the FEMA trailers, thats a whole other conversation. Living there takes a hearty breed, even still to this day, another rough winter for this area. Although I live in Chicago now, I will always with both fondness and pride associate myself with this town.
I live in Halstad, MN. My house is about 4 "short" blocks from the Red River between Fargo and Grand Forks. Halstad Has a very good dike system. We were a island surrounded with water. We had one road out. The mobile home I lived in had snow stacked two feet from the roof. We lived in tunnels surrounded by snow.
Yes the RRV is cold, ( considered sub- Artic) although it is very beautiful in its own way.
The swan couple who come back every year and raise a family on the pond right next to the RR here, the acres of birds that come to home here in the summer. Including Pelicans, Canadian geese, and every type of duck in North America. The sun rising and setting is just beautiful. We have moose,deer, black bear, and all types of small critters.
I am too old to enjoy winters but as a child it was a winter wonderland. Ice skating, hockey, sliding down the banks of the Red on slides, sometimes just a thick piece of cardboard that goes down really fast, winter lgloos to use as play houses.
Fishing is common here. The RRV has catfish that look like small sharks. Of course in Minnesota, we have the 10,000 lakes which provides the summer fun and tourist money.
Although we do have some tornados, we are at the top of Tornado Ally, and don't have too many tornados, I did lose 13 trees in my yard a few years ago due to high winds. ( 130MPH).
I agree you have to be tough to live here. I worked year round OUTSIDE in my job, Columbia, North Face and Carhart are standard issue here.
Sandbaging is common many YEARS BECAUSE OF THE FLAT LAND AND FAST MELT. We like a slow melt.
Bald Eagles live among the trees of the Red River. The most I have seen at one time is NINE! They are so beautiful! I sure don't leave. my small Chihuahuas outside!
Ms....you should write a memoir...you write so beautifully....I could almost see those sunrises and sunsets as though I was standing there with you!
@@LisasLunacy87 thank you I wrote on quora for a while...they changed:(
@@pamelahawn9300 I love writing myself, but can't seem to find an appropriate outlet for my pieces. I can write anything for any audience, but can't find any opportunities for myself. It's frustrating and very sad.
In the end, I went from sad to proud. Proud because I live on a planet with people who stood up like this. There are many stories one can tell about moments in history when humans rose up... This is and always will be one of those.
That was a great documentary and with some footage I've never seen before. I live in Winnipeg and it was devastating watching Grand Forks going up in flames. Glued to the TV watching what was happening there like everyone else from here cause all that water ends up coming here in weeks. I was out sandbagging on the 2 rivers that flow through the city. Almost fell in into the Red, was standing on a dike like about 20 feet high and the water was wicked fast. We were lucky to have the floodway or Winnipeg would of been under water like Grand Forks. The flood was called Big Red Sea, from how wide it spread in Manitoba. They said estimate 500,000 would of had to be evacuated including me and 3/4 quarters of the City under water. I think everyone in both Countries learned a lot from that 97 Red River flood.
Are you too young to remember the 1950 flood in Winnipeg? I was born in '54. But my parents always always told me about it. How my grandparents homes were completely underwater. How the apartment they lived in had to be evacuated. My parents said what Winnipeg had in '97 was nothing compared to '50, thanks to Duff's Ditch. But I too remember watching in '97 and hoping that Winnipeg wouldn't get what our neighbors to the south were getting.
I was part of a group of teenagers that helped clean up the 1972 Wilkes Barre flooding in PA. Until you work on post-flood damage, you can’t possibly imagine what water can do. That summer opened my eyes to floods and to service. Excellent film.
I cannot imagine what that must have been like.
hurricane agnes. also caused the six railroads in pennsylvania to go bankrupt
Very admirable, Donna!
Can hardly believe it’s been 50 years since Agnes
@@Media523 It can be worse than RR: Ahr river Germany 14-15 July 2021. No large open floodplain, but steep slopes 45%, rock bottom at depth +- 50 cm. The day before it rained +- 30-50 mm in this basin, at 14-07 80-145 mm fell. In fact, many private pluviometers broke down between 18:00 and 21:00!
Dernau: th-cam.com/video/4ZqSZY9L_sw/w-d-xo.html
Altenahr: th-cam.com/video/vtG1UCKR1dA/w-d-xo.html
(flash) Insul: th-cam.com/video/CpYYIlhY9IQ/w-d-xo.html
Same story: ignoring the historical facts and data older than 40-50 years.
1910, 1804 (almost NO German writings, most are in French. A city major left for a few days, and returned to find some fields stripped to rock bottom), 1612: floods with similar mindblowing impacts.
In 1348 or 1346 the lower Rhine (Ahr is a tributary) remained at unseen peak level for more than a week.
Geologists have a name for the ground on which this town was built. They call it a lake.
My young son had rented an apartment in the Security Building at one point. Glad he wasn't living there, but he still lost everything as he had been living in a basement apartment in East Grand Forks. He, his roommate and a young lady in another unit in the building were among the last to cross the Gateway bridge before it was closed to traffic. They all lost everything but were safely at home with their parents.
1aaaaaà mi a
That's amazing. I was in St Paul at the time & we were shocked down south.
Did your child settle permanently up there, or did the risk of future flood drive them away?
p.s. some walleye fishing pros from the area I knew had homes destroyed or damaged. People in the fishing community reached out to the affected pros to help. It was refreshing to see that support.
I suppose the lesson to take home here is.... don't live in a know floodplain!
“Kelly had always felt like a doormat when she moved to Grand Forks. The waters, however, turned her into a bitch.”
Atta girl. She seems like a fun person to be around. I admire how she tried very hard to remain in her home after the flood, even when all the other homes on the block had been tore down before hers eventually succumbed to the same fate.
I’ve witnessed many floods all through my life. Helped with many clean-ups, seeing people lose all they had and even came close to having our own home be flooded … but it’s the one thing I never want to personally have to go through when it comes to a natural disaster. Not only am I fearful of large bodies of rushing water, it’s the aftermath that’s dreadful … all the sewage in the water, gasoline, diesel, mold, and even death that lurks in it… it just brings a whole other catastrophe after the initial blow. I truly do feel for anyone who has ever had to deal with it on a more personal level.
Elevation map before you purchase property. Regardless of what the developer has built.
I'll never complain about an inch or two of water rushing into my basement after heavy rains again after watching this. The amount of water, the damage, the fires... Bless everyone there for everything they've been thru.
I grew up in the Lake of the woods area in Ontario Canada, the winters of 96 n 97 were brutal. With massive amounts of snowfall all over, Northern MN, ND, NW Ontario and Manitoba, all were under over 7 ft of snow.
The weather in that area of the world, is not for the meek.
I was there for the 96/7 season in MN. That one was bad, no doubt. This area of the world requires one to be self sufficient. Blanket and a can of beans in the trunk, ya know?
@@32degreesretarded62 Call me paranoid, but there's ALWAYS an emergency kit in my vehicles suitable for the season.
Every season in that area is bad. It is truly a terrible and godforsaken region of the planet.
YESSSSS!!! Worse winters ever for me when I was stationed there. The last blizzard before the flood was literally rain, sleet, then snow for 12 hrs. It was crazy!!! I'll never forget that.
In 1997 I was living in Devils Lake, ND, about 85 miles west of Grand Forks . I planned to go to Grand Forks to assist with sandbagging, then that morning the dikes were topped, everyone evacuated. The next time I went to Gand Forks was about 2 months later. I could smell the rotting material 4 miles west of the town.
I don't know why I'm crying so much but as a homeowner who has painstakingly cleaned, replaced, painted every square inch of an old home, to see all your hard work and see your house get destroyed like that, I can't imagine. She was so brave to go back and try and clean it and fix everything 😭 and you were also very brave to call it a loss. 💔
It is the reaching out of compassion and empathy in the aftermath that brought tears to my eyes. Humanity is measured by those efforts, at its base, the residents in those communities that have the ability to share and care for others.
I live on the edge of the Boreal Forest in western Canada, with wildfires a constant threat during the summers.
Last year we had a small one start just kms east of town, and immediately offers of aid were pouring in from hundreds of kms away.
An excellent reminder there are still many good people in this world!
I remember flying in to Winnipeg as the Red river and the Assiniboine were flooding there. The city looked like an island in the middle of a huge, huge lake. Everywhere I looked, Winnipeg was surrounded by water. On the 60 mile drive to where my parents lived, only the highway, trees, and the occasional farm buildings stood above the water.
I grew up in GF. I still have family there. My stepfather was in the hospital and had to be evacuated out to Fargo. It was a very difficult time for everyone. My father's former office building is gone downtown. Indeed GF changed but is a shining example of recovery. I visited for the first time in decades at our first family reunion in GF and I thought the town looked pretty nice.
40 below is average?……that’s cold. Bless them.
LOL And sweating when it's 10 below after hitting 40 below for weeks.
It's a story told over and over again. Cities and towns built in flood prone areas, people dying needlessly and the cities and towns just get built back over the skeletons.
Taxpayers foot the cost. We indemnify people who choose to live and do business in a known flood plain. It’s Einstein’s theory of insanity every time a “500 year flood event” hits. Privatize profits, socialize losses.
Im just shocked they were able to rebuild after this and deam the city safe.. the mold and mildew would be concerning for me to even want to. Smh
Makes me remember how my grandmother would very rarely talk about the flood of 63 in South Dakota. There are many large bent trees, and the little river/creek looks so small despite the horror it caused so many years ago. She told me to take care where I moved for that little river could become a destroyer once again. Some springs it has flowed high and she always seemed wary of it.
Can’t blame her! Once you’ve been through a historic flood it changes the way you look at things forever. The flood of “83 in Arizona was a sight to behold. In Tucson, all the bridges washed out and people were waterskiing behind pick up trucks. Developers quickly forgot about it and within a few years were building on floodplains that had been under 6+ ft of water. Uncle Sam had decided that two feet of dirt on a floodplain would make it safe to build on. Um…. NO. We’ve already seen entire developments (last year) that had to be bulldozed because flood waters ruined them. It’s only a matter of time before another historic flood happens again.
I live in Grand Forks. I was not alive during the 1997 flood. But seeing these videos, imagining this town underwater and all these peoples homes getting destroyed is just heart breaking. My dad was at college and und and my uncle was at highschool at Central. My grandma and grandpa near Valley Middle school. They all had to leave and almost all of my dads school stuff including yearbooks had gotten destroyed in the flood. Thank you for making this documentary, I’m glad I could learn more about this flood.
My mom had lived in East Grand, she said her favorite car had gotten swept away in the flood. My grandma and grandpa on my moms side also had to evacuate including my mom.
I lived in northwest Tennessee at the time about a mile from the Obion river. Much of the land on each side of that river is marshy and it went from being a lazy stream to being half a mile wide, filling that whole marshy area. I lived on a small rise and didn't get flooded out but 2 of the 3 roads leading out of our rural community were washed away. I'd go out in the morning and the ground was so saturated there'd be cottonmouth snakes on my front porch I'd have to get down low to shoot off the porch and not hit anything else.
Mayor Pat Owens demonstrated exceptional leadership during and after the flooding, but never took center stage.
I lived at Grand Forks AFB during that horrible flood in 97. What has stayed with me over the years is how I incredibly brave and resilient the citizens of Grand Forks were. They had to be. It’s like it wasn’t even a choice for them. I am very proud to have called Grand Forks home for 3 years of my life. I now live in Northern California, near the Paradise, CA where the Camp Fire destroyed a whole town in 2018. That whole terrible event reminded me of the 97 flood in ND. People sometimes have to dig so deep to be so brave.
I was stationed there in 79 during that flood
I did as well. The way people on and off base pulled together, especially during the fire, was amazing. Truly surprised no one lost their life between the flood and the blizzard that preceded it.
I was born in '55 in Grand Forks, ND at St Michael's Hospital. My Grandma lived on North Forth St across from Sherlock Park, by the Kennedy Bridge on the East Grand Forks, Mn side. That whole neighborhood was later condemned and removed after this flood. Personally, I'm glad my mom & dad moved to Wisconsin in '57. Lots of good ag land on the prairie but it's so flat the water actually flows north. My heart is there but glad we relocated as a family. This was hard to watch.🥺
Something that happened every single year is not a flood it’s just the thing that happens every year.
this is great information, in 2022 it's starting to draw parallels to what's happening currently this spring. I'm originally from NJ where floods last until the next tide cycle but now I live in Grand Forks.
Gotta love the events that shock the experts. The good news is that some of us (not all, but that can't be helped) learn our lesson.
31:00 I think it's worth mentioning that the fire truck is on an army flatbed because the floodwaters kept killing the engines.
Also worth noting that part of the reason why the flood was so bad is that there was an ice jam downriver. Everything got backed up behind the ice and spilled out everywhere.
The ice jam is a small point of contention, which is why it wasn't specifically mentioned. While it undoubtedly had some effect, water was still able to flow easily beneath it, causing questions about its exact magnitude.
My dad was part of the planning for putting the trucks on them. They brainstormed while working and during their "sleep break" in a maintenance closet.
I lived in Grand Forks in 1999 and 2000. I'm an Okie and never before or since been in the kind of bitter cold. I lived in an apartment that was a fifteen minute walk to East Grand Forks Minnesota over the Red. That valley is truly a nasty place to be if there's so much as a gnat fart for a breeze.
God, I hated living there too. Total shit hole. In winter I remember constantly thinking, why do people live here, it's not fit for humans. I was there for this and those blizzards that winter were what I remember being actually scared of dying. The power was out and we had electric heat. Practically a death sentence and it lasted days and days. This flood should have convinced everyone to book it the hell out.
@@fromjon4654 Yeah if there’s no wood heat it can definitely be a problem with the power out. House has gotten down to the high 30s low 40s before the power came back on after a ice storm. 4/5 days it was quite a while ago took down some tv / radio towers too.
All the announcements on the news of people taking in refugees from the flood and even pets was so heartwarming after so much tragedy.
Gods awesome power revealed in the elements of the UNIVERSE.. Job 28: 25-27...Thine is the power and the Glory....!
I was in the Canadian military in 1997, and was in Southern Manitoba doing flood relief.
“Mad at the national weather service.” I don’t get this….weather predictions are, by definition, predictions, and the weather service, doctors, economists, etc. are about as good at predicting the future as everyone else….which is “overall, not very good.” Predictions are a “well, it is hopefully better than no estimation at all” situation, but any adult should know that there are no guarantees and things can, and likely will, change, probably multiple times as things evolve. There just is no crystal ball and why be mad at predictions for being predictions.
Someone always gets the blame.
I lived in Brooklyn Center, MN when that happened. I miss living in MN - yet don't miss stalking by x-boyfriend. I've been stalked by relatives her in East Coast. It's not been a pleasant place to live.
this documentary should be a reminder to all humans that we are ALL temporary ants on the planet and she can remove us whenever she feels fit to do so without any notice or warning. Mother earth is alive and can wipe us off the face of her skin on a whim and we can't do anything about it. You better believe that she won't allow us to destroy her. She will take care of us and our destructive methods long before we fully destroy the planet.
Grand Forks, New Orleans, Arizona, Nevada... where oh where will humans continue to attempt to inhabitate where it's inhospitable on a long term level?
I don't care what side of the aisle you prefer, or what your opinion is of Bill Clinton's private transgressions. That right there was a real leader speaking to those people.
Our gov't itself can be a lot of the trouble when it comes to timely recovery. Take for example hurricane Katrina. I was mgr of a small trucking co. in South Atlanta. Being asked to haul exempt loads of bottled water. Had they not been so slow (2-3mo's) to pay, more co's would've helped in doing their part.
the 'govt cant pour piss out of a boot. . but we had the child molester / llizard in chief (bush 1 ) in office . helping humans is NOT in the reptillian interest
This video is dredging up rough memories. I’m listening to this documentary while doing yard chores, and by 24:00, i’m in tears because it’s exactly how the 2016 Louisiana flood was for us. We cope by not speaking about it. Everyone flooded. I got 46” of water at the top of a hill. All these years later, we still live out of plastic bins, because I don’t have the heart to buy certain furniture.
cant blame you a bit
were you taking a poo on the toilet when it happened?
I volunteered doing sandbags around Hebert during the 16' flood. Everywhere was flooded. My little bayou/lake can't flood unless I-20, east of Monroe, gets about 4 feet of water on it and THEN I would be concerned. That was a bad flood though, too many people I know lost too much- and I'm not talking about tv's, but rather wedding albums, family bibles, etc. And before people harp on living in floodplains you gotta understand- these were areas that have NEVER flooded and it wasn't though possible to flood. Funny thing is most flood water damage, down to the street in most cases, could be traced to something MAN did and it was usually too small of a culvert/stopped up culvert.
@@BigDaddy-yp4mi my butts just been wiped
@@michaelmagic988
Details. Please.
Well done, compassionate, and thoughtful. It is amazing how humans don't give up, even knowing it will happen again. No lives were lost is absolutely amazing. Like the Red River people, New Orleans rebuilt and has its fingers crossed also. Stay strong, stay alert and use your intuitive self.
The residents are the true heroes.
2011, Owego NY. Rivers are not kind...They wind and flow when calm, but they can be raging beasts...And they test our character...God Bless anyone who knows, and bless us all...AAA
I survived!! what a video...
Thank you for the kind words!
@@Media523 I lived in EGF and on the Point,,I will never forget this and now I live in Bemidji since but truly miss my hometown..It is beautiful and Grand Forks since he recovery!! I have great memories as what was!! Thank you for a job well done!!!
My aunt and uncle lost their home in this flood. The whole city banded together though, and that helpful spirit Iives on to this day
Thank you for sharing with everyone
That is the one thing I remember growing up. The helpful spirit. I remember many a day sandbagging to protect homes.
I was in Minneapolis then. I felt awful for these people in Grand Forks. Yes, it was a horrible, brutal winter between 96-97.
Everybody needs a houseboat. It rises with the river.
I remember this. I didn’t live there, but worked with an officer who had a brother whose family lived in East Grand Forks. They lost everything.
Can you believe it's been 25 years? Not a fun time. Glad to have it behind us.
My parents' families are from Halstad and Hendrum, MN. I wasn't up in that area in '97, but I filled sandbags in '75 (which was an uncommon summer flood). It's a rough country.
I'm shaking my head, thinking how is it even remotely sensible to build in a flood plane????
Nope. Sorry. I do not understand. There simply DOES NOT have to be a town, village, tent... Let alone a full blown city in the confluence. And where did that filthy water dissipate to??? Yuck.
I was at Central high when this happened. Almost every student stopped going to school to help sandbag. I went to my classes. I remember thinking, let nature take it's course. Humans shouldn't live in that frozen wasteland. The epitome of bleak.
Like New Orleans you can't build a city in a fishbowl near a major water source and expect not to lose your shit
David: So true. Floridians experience more loss because humans moved onto the coast. Prior to this there was not the losses because people did not live on the coast. The weather has not changed, where people choose to live changes.
@@sheilasmith7779 I live in the Midwest and was sitting on my porch Saturday watching the tornado lift before hitting my house and watched my roof slam down on 3 of my vehicles and blow off in 3 different directions I was about to get in my truck and chase it but that stopped me I expect that weather every year I don't expect them to make a story about all my close calls and the few loses I've had I just accept it call the insurance company and rebuild and replace
@@davidwoermansr I was making a different point to the global warmest alarmists.
They constantly mention increase in damage and deaths over the last 100 years as evidence that global conditions are changing.
The reason there is more damage and death is not because of climate change but because more people have moved into areas that experience these storms.
In fact the number of hurricanes has decfeased.
However, you did say something that does trouble me. Every survivor is a " hero."
Human resilience requires we adjust to the difficulties that comdecreased. So as you say, we clean up, rebuild and move forward.
We are not heros because we survive.
@@sheilasmith7779 I never said every survivor is a hero and don't believe that most are fools who chose to stay instead of evacuate causing the real heros to come into dangerous areas to rescue them like me I shouldve been in my storm shelter with my kids not outside watching it come right at me and getting in my truck to chase it had it dropped faster I'd be dead I found part of my roof a quarter mile away stuck 6 ft in the ground like a harpoon it could've been deeper and broke off while we were pulling it out with the backhoe
@@davidwoermansr No, that's true you didn't say that but I agreed with your sentiment that people that survive and move on are not special. Humans must be resilient and move on.....which may include moving to a different, safer area....or not, their choice. I live in TN, we have tornados. I knew the risk before I moved here.
Most people don't know that this region is the only area on the planet that experiences tornados. So it's up to us to know if we are moving into a flood plain, earth quake, hurricane or tornado area.
How awesome people taking others into their homes in the aftermath
I was 9 years old and we were one of the last cars out. We left our Mazda and flood water stopped at it's back tire but our apartment had the back up in it. I'll never forget the flood and watching the news at my grandparents house in Utah living in their 5th wheel. We came back but we didn't stay.
Many people left. It's very sad.
sometimes I hate people because of the way they treat one another.. but then I watch a documentary like this. After all the bad event's these good went through and it lovely to see the love they spread into there community's if the world was full with people like these there be peace I can only hope ♥✌👌
That is a terrific point of view. Thank you for sharing.
I grew up in Morris County, NJ. Every year floods but once in awhile a really bad one! I learned a few very important things about flooding. One big one is, during a flood if you see what looks like just a large puddle-Don't drive or walk thru it, it can fill up to 6ft in seconds! We've learned Mother Nature rules! Respect her always! Great documentary. LOVE-PETS ACCEPTED
I wonder how many people were triggered by the word dike 🤣😂 This was a great documentary and very informative, I never knew of this town or catastrophe
Water isn’t anything to take for granted
Hurricane Maria in vieques Puerto Rico was devastating for me, an I had been through many different weather disasters but it tops my list. I always have compassion for this type of stuff. I just pray this year gets better for us all.
I spent hours sand bagging and was in the front page of the Herald walking the dike with a Catholic priest days before the dike ruptured. Moved to Tennessee a couple months afterwards it’s just something you’ll never forget. I live on S 25th St near the corner of DeMers and Columbia with 4 feet of water in my apartment
After surviving a blizzard that cut the base off from town in March, and then spending April cleaning up, if you will, we turned our attention to the flooding. It was gut wrenching watching these people lose everything. And then the fire just made everything even worse. It was heartwrenching learning the newpaper lost everything including archives.
Don't know why this was surfaced to me, but glad it was. I lived in East Grand Forks before and after this event, and my grandparents stayed in EGF that whole time. Changed the cities forever
I remember being 6 years old waken up to army in front my house and trucks of sandbags! My dad and mom waken all is kids up telling us we gotta go help people's houses on Scotia Ave... Almost getting flooded. I walked down street the water was right up along sandbags! I still have lot photos of this day
Rickety log buildings. And huge fancy old buildings juxtaposed. Two time periods of architecture.
You do have a problem ,,,but it can be fixed ,,,its a snake & the snake must be fixed,,,
A crooked curve must be canaled to be used in the crooked places that can be opened in times of flooding giving it a straight corse to move the water s more quickly,,, do you get my understanding
My parents lived in Linkin park near the kayak station, if you look to the right you can atill see the steps that used to go to our front door.
Truly sad but thanks for posting. I am sorry that people build their homes and businesses in flood plains.The heartbreaks of losing possessions is hard to know but I know as the criminals stole my life savings. This tragedy is a lesson for those who will hear and see.
It is sad to look back upon those days ..seems like a lifetime ago..alot of people..family and friends, as well as places, are long gone now..
I haven't lived in GF since those days, but always feel like I have a bond with anybody else who is from there, or lived through this.
Am i supposed to watch the video, or the subtitles. STOP USING SUBTITLES!!!
Wow it backflash me back to 1920's; this is story is comparable to the great flood of the Mississippi!
Why does every American documentary start with shit like a soldier turned family man decided to build his family home here but he does not know what's coming and a random women saying her kids are her life
I’m in love with Kelly Nelson. She’s not only beautiful, she’s tough!