Snowy Complications

Unfortunately the winter storm (but I thought it was spring?) has caused all volunteer buses from Grand Forks to Fargo to be canceled. This includes UND's buses. I was thinking about braving it anyways this morning, but that would've been a very bad idea, and literally impossible. My car was buried by giant snowdrifts and our parking lot was also untouched by plows at the time. The no-travel advisory should also be taken very seriously, the water almost touches the interstate the closer you get to Fargo, and if you lose control and end up in the ditch it could very well be a fatal situation. So PLEASE exercise caution if you plan on braving it anyways, and if you do it, do it in a pickup or other capable vehicle. The Ford Taurus and Honda Civic drivers should probably reconsider.

There is good news for people who want to help out around Grand Forks, I received a mass e-mail from the UND Student Government Office this morning saying there are locations right here in Grand Forks that need our help with sandbagging. Here's the original e-mail:


Attention Students:

Thank you to everyone who signed up to volunteer down in Fargo. As of right now, all Wednesday shuttles going to Fargo have been canceled, but there are opportunities here in Grand Forks for those willing to give a helping hand.

For anyone interested in sandbagging here in Grand Forks, we have several addresses you can help at:

6801 Lake Drive, 6205 Lake Drive, 6721 Lake Drive, 6701 Lake drive, 6615 Lake Drive. ( get directions here: [link removed by me because the link in the email was a map of Tucson, AZ...which is pretty much the exact opposite of Grand Forks right now.)

There is also indoor sandbagging being conducted starting at 10:00 am at a farm shop right across the road from the beginning of Lake Drive. (Instead of turning onto Lake Drive turn in the opposite direction and the shop is straight ahead.)

Anyone interested should contact the Student Government Office to let us know which address you plan on going to. This will help us coordinate efforts to be most effective. People should try to carpool in four-wheel drive vehicles.

We encourage volunteers to help with these efforts, but we must remember to keep safety first. Due to poor road conditions students should exercise extreme caution when traveling around Grand Forks, and everyone should dress warmly. Due to high snowfall we also recommend gloves and boots when at all possible.

If anyone has any questions please contact the Student Government Office at (701) 777-4377.

Keep checking your e-mail for more updates.

Sincerely,

Tyrone & Mike

I made my own map of where the sandbagging is needed, as far as I can tell it's all along Lake Street in extreme southeast Grand Forks (I think I rode my bike here in an earlier blog post).


View Larger Map

Exercise extreme caution, it's still a dangerous trip even though it's local. Dress appropriately for winter!

Also, I caught a picture of Mayville on the news last night and saw the Pizza Shop is almost completely submerged...for those familiar with Mayville, that's a lot of water. If anyone has any pictures of Mayville's flood, please send them to me! I don't think people realize how bad it is there.