The Red River Flood (documentary)

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

[@magenanderson9555]

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.

[@TheLolacat1]

thankyou for sharing...

[@dellingson4833]

@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.

[@poutinedream5066]

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?" 🤔🤣

[@magenanderson9555]

@@poutinedream5066 I'm so sorry for what happened to you. You deserved better.

[@robertz.757]

That's Pretty Kool. Thnx 2UR Pops!!! 💯❤️🤙😶✌️🇺🇸

[@W.Y.W.H.40]

This was absolutely, one of the best documentaries that I have seen in years. 5 Stars!

[@Media523]

Thank you for the kinds words!

[@LisaHouserman]

I agree! This was very moving. Thank you.

[@Bradly197]

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.

[@donnamuller6460]

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.

[@Media523]

I cannot imagine what that must have been like.

hurricane agnes. also caused the six railroads in pennsylvania to go bankrupt

[@kingofthecatnap5780]

Very admirable, Donna!

[@mkervelegan]

Can hardly believe it’s been 50 years since Agnes

[@PerteTotale]

@@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: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aovUhI2PbrGSqdk Altenahr: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKWqYoh5gLdkmqM (flash) Insul: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eaG8inyinb5sf7M 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.

[@pamelahawn9300]

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!

[@LisasLunacy87]

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!

[@pamelahawn9300]

@@LisasLunacy87 thank you I wrote on quora for a while...they changed:(

[@LisasLunacy87]

@@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.

[@smllyls]

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.

[@saraberger8906]

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.

[@stacyrussell460]

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.

[@lennyt-man4229]

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.

[@barbk1011]

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.

[@americansweetheart5597]

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. 💔

[@jcarroll1202]

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.

[@robertlarge1542]

1aaaaaà mi a

[@houseofsolomon2440]

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.

[@baconstrips6260]

I suppose the lesson to take home here is.... don't live in a know floodplain!

[@elizabethvlach9902]

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.

[@pensacola07]

I was stationed there in 79 during that flood

[@dellahicks7231]

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!

[@vincentender1486]

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.

[@sallyintucson]

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.

[@mynamedoesntmatter8652]

“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.

[@djf8619]

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.

[@pensacola07]

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

[@drtreacyhagan1868]

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.

[@cbishere311]

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.

[@cbishere311]

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.

[@TwoBs]

“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.

[@j.b.4340]

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.

[@clemclemson9259]

cant blame you a bit

[@michaelmagic988]

were you taking a poo on the toilet when it happened?

[@BigDaddy-yp4mi]

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.

[@michaelmagic988]

@@BigDaddy-yp4mi my butts just been wiped

[@janaprocella8268]

@@michaelmagic988 Details. Please.

[@timothyaure9602]

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.🥺

[@justanotherperson584]

40 below is average?……that’s cold. Bless them.

[@Tser]

All the announcements on the news of people taking in refugees from the flood and even pets was so heartwarming after so much tragedy.

[@marlastar100]

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.

[@Media523]

The residents are the true heroes.

[@RAM-BAWN]

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.

[@Media523]

The residents are real heroes.

[@royyark2896]

Off topic, but how are the winters in GFK in comparison to Fargo?

[@colonelpotter]

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.

[@cynthiaamitrano8915]

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.

[@archiveseeker]

I was in the Canadian military in 1997, and was in Southern Manitoba doing flood relief.

[@brucesteele3052]

Mayor Pat Owens demonstrated exceptional leadership during and after the flooding, but never took center stage.

[@MicrowavedAlastair5390]

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.

[@Media523]

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.

[@magenanderson9555]

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.

[@mr.hanger]

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.

[@fromjon4654]

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.

[@frizzlefry1921]

@@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.

[@petemclean1352]

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.

[@32degreesretarded62]

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?

[@petemclean1352]

@@32degreesretarded62 Call me paranoid, but there's ALWAYS an emergency kit in my vehicles suitable for the season.

[@Wtf.IDontWantAHandle.]

Every season in that area is bad. It is truly a terrible and godforsaken region of the planet.

[@peterlund985]

Can you believe it's been 25 years? Not a fun time. Glad to have it behind us.

[@billfeld5883]

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

[@jollyjohnthepirate3168]

Geologists have a name for the ground on which this town was built. They call it a lake.

[@monteengel461]

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.

[@Rebel9668]

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.

[@kimmccabe1422]

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

[@AdamChitown2023]

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

[@DoughboyPathyUSA]

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

[@fkirfirt9606]

I was in 2nd grade and this was when the concept of a refugee first entered my mind as communities across the state took in friends and relatives.

[@jungtran]

I was a student at UND at the time. We had a day off to help sandbag the flooded area. This video clip brought back many sweet memories at UND.

[@elsbethmorgan]

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.

[@Media523]

Many people left. It's very sad.

[@neilpk70]

What a well rounded, well presented documentary! Thank you.

[@vj9988]

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

[@Media523]

Thank you for sharing with everyone

[@drtreacyhagan1868]

That is the one thing I remember growing up. The helpful spirit. I remember many a day sandbagging to protect homes.

[@dougsundseth6904]

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.

[@Airborne80]

Wow. I'm half way into this documentary at 5am and am flabbergasted. What a great documentary about a great tragedy that I've never heard of.

[@Media523]

Everyone from these cities deserves an incredible amount of credit.

[@blackhawk7r221]

Elevation map before you purchase property. Regardless of what the developer has built.

[@johnchedsey1306]

I remember hearing/seeing a bit about these floods when it happened, but that was well before the internet dominated our daily lives. This documentary does a fabulous job of summing up that experience. And should remind us that no matter how clever humans can be, mother nature is still the ultimate force.

[@leeholmes9962]

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 ♥✌👌

[@Media523]

That is a terrific point of view. Thank you for sharing.

[@Detcaligirl]

Remarkable documentary. I don’t own a tv yet I was mesmerized by this till the very end and then some. Thank you.

[@Media523]

Thank you for the kind words. But it was the residents who made the difference.

[@mistingwolf]

I was just a kid during this flood, and my family lived about an hour's drive away. Our town did receive some floodwater from the Red and the Clearwater, but nothing so devastating as what GF went through. For me it's just a vague memory, but I'm so proud of the people who lived there for pulling through. Resilience is certainly something we have in the Northern Midwest.

[@charliekezza]

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.

[@mkervelegan]

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.

[@hph9614]

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

[@cybercab]

Cool! I was there when it happened. Crazy stuff. Thanks for sharing.

[@Media523]

Thank you for the kind words.

[@isatoro77]

Wow great documentary! Subscribed Masterpiece 👏🏻👏🏻

[@Media523]

Thank you for the kind words

[@49LivingtheDream]

I was in Minneapolis then. I felt awful for these people in Grand Forks. Yes, it was a horrible, brutal winter between 96-97.

[@RobertBardos]

Something that happened every single year is not a flood it’s just the thing that happens every year.

[@donnapuckett4992]

One of the best documentaries I have seen, awesome job! God Bless

[@Media523]

Thank you very much

[@twesj]

Thank you for this! I lived north of the sand bags on oak street. My house was just west of head start. I was in 5th grade. We got out of school to sand bag for a classmate who's backyard was mickelson. His house was directly next to the start of the north side of the sand bags on the north side of Oak street. I remember being in his backyard throwing sand bags and the water wasn't too far away. It was a scary time. This was in Fargo not Grand Forks.

[@Media523]

That's incredible. Thank you for sharing your story.

[@twesj]

@@Media523 that was quite the year actually. We got a ton of snow that winter as well. We ended up missing so much school they had to add days. The teachers didn't have anything planned so they had us watching old shows like the three stooges for a week or so. We had a really warm start to the summer that year. It was very uncomfortable sitting in a carpeted gym(it doubled as a fallout shelter and still had the signs) elbow to elbow with other students. I went to one of the oldest elementary schools in Fargo. They didn't have air conditioning at the time so it was very uncomfortable. It felt like the river flooded my neighborhood every year. The baseball fields at Mickelson would have standing water with these huge fish flopping around. Eventually the fields would smell like fish. They'd wait for it to dry up and then they'd rehab what they could. Usually the fields weren't ready until mid June with some not being playable all year. Our house was just barely out of the flood zone but we still had issues. Our basement walls were cracked and we would get water in our basement from time to time. Eventually we had to put an I beam every few feet that were about an inch out from the wall to hold everything together. My classmate who I mentioned before ended up getting bought out by the city and they tore the house down. I had several friends in the Oak Grove neighborhood as well. We sandbagged there as well but most of my friends ended up losing their houses or being bought out by the city. I remember that the Stanley Cup playoffs was going on at the time and all the kids were huge hockey fans so someone would always be running in the house to check the score of the game until the parents noticed all the mud being tracked in. Sorry for rambling. 1997 was a tragic year for the Red River Valley but the 90s was a whole were some of the best years of my life so it's fun to look back on. Thanks again.

[@SadisticSenpai61]

We moved to Coon Rapids, MN in 1997. Mom and us kids moved in summer after school ended, but Dad moved in March, I think. I remember him sending pictures of 5 feet of snow on the lawn long after all the snow had melted in Des Moines, IA (where we lived just before the move). It gave us a false impression tho cuz we were expecting winters to continue being like that, but instead got 3 mild winters after that (moved back to Iowa in 2000). Maybe we brought the Iowa weather north? lol We lived on the East side of Des Moines when the Des Moines River flooded in 1993. I don't remember much of it - mostly Dad bringing a ton of files home when his office downtown was threatened by floodwaters and a clubhouse in a park being under water up to the brick just below the roof (we saw it from I-80/I-35 as we drove past). I don't remember going to a cousin's house to take baths, but my friend remembers showering in the back of a semi trailer. They still haven't moved Water Works Park - it's literally built on a flood plane next to a river that can't be dammed because all of the land around it is the same height or lower.

[@ghunter182003]

I still remember this flood as if it were yesterday. Some of my friends had to miss school to sand bag their own houses and the devastation was just horrific. Farming was extremely stressful because the river had saturated the fields. I’m grateful that we haven’t had a flood that bad since then, but you never know.

[@sunayakong8537]

Very moving.

[@LolLol-xy4rh]

I rate this documentary a 9/10

[@32degreesretarded62]

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.

[@karensheline5183]

Awwww….made me cry when they got to the part of people opening their homes to people and pets❣️

[@rolexmd69]

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.

[@johnkramchuck7653]

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..

[@WJack97224]

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.

[@debrasexton6050]

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.

[@wandaburke1473]

I survived!! what a video...

[@Media523]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@wandaburke1473]

@@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!!!

[@GrizzlyFavell]

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

[@carolledietrich5779]

UND graduate, husbands mom was in an independent living situation. We lived in Minnesota and really had no idea what was happening. My sister on a farm in ND went and picked up Grandma. She stayed on the farm for awhile and then we picked her up and from there she went to Illinois with her other son. It was hard for her but better than staying there.

[@bretpuckett6141]

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.

[@smeow5380]

I was 8 when the flood hit, we lived right on the river in Riverside. I remember it like it was yesterday.

[@grapeshot]

I remember when I was serving in the Army in 1993 we had to go help out during the 500-year flood on the Mississippi. We were sent to Iowa and Kansas.

[@gabe-po9yi]

Growing up I remember the Weather Service always erring on the side of caution and issuing what action people should take. When situations didn’t get as dangerous as they could’ve, city leaders, business owners would complain that they’d lost money or spent money they didn’t need to. As a result, it eventually got to where the Weather Service didn’t issue advisory actions at all and people took it to mean it was okay to go out, to go about one’s daily visit. I remember going from TV channel to TV channel, radio station to radio station trying to find a suggested course of action for tornadoes in the county or to piece together enough info to be able to make an informed decision. Then, it changed to “If you go out, be careful.” So, that means it’s okay to go out, just be extra cautious - when it was really not okay to be out. Or, “the police are asking people to stay home.” It seems just recently the Weather Service is back to being allowed to state clearly what’s happening and what people should do.

[@richardlong8014]

Everybody needs a houseboat. It rises with the river.

[@KatieWiecks]

I was a kid when this happened. Our little town, Alvarado was completely surrounded by water. One of the few towns that didn't flood. My parents decided to move after this flood as this was too close of a call.

[@jenford7078]

Amazing what people can survive and keep their sanity.

[@ResearchNational]

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?

[@ira1ish]

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.

[@seanmcneil1023]

I remember staying at that airforce base.

[@notbornyesterday2767]

Amazing! I'm from the East Coast, but, I've lived here, in Grand Forks,, since 2009. I had always thought, even before I moved here, how incredible it was that 50,000 people had pulled this off without any incident of looting, rape, murder, arson, kidnapping, assaults, arguing, etc. That's why when COVID hit us I had some faith that we would be OK, because North Dakotans are basically level-headed, pragmatic people, given how they had responded back in 1997 to this flood. I remember being in my office on Long Island, NY, back then, and the receptionist came by and showed me the headlines of our newspaper---50,000 EVACUATED! ---Little had I known back then that someday I'd actually be living here. I will say that although I will soon be heading back East, I will never forget the steadfast, common sense, solid temperaments of North Dakotans, and that's what I will miss the most, alongside of the peace and quiet, safe neighborhoods, a no-nonsense police force, and a stable economy.

[@colonelpotter]

I'm from Cape May, NJ and moved here in 2019 and honestly I've been fascinated with this flood and watched every documentary on KZbin I can find about it and I agree with your assessment of the COVID situation up here. I called my family kinda of bragging about our COVID response compared to NJ.

[@blaydCA]

Excellent batch of commercials with some documentary.

[@Media523]

That's how KZbin places the ads, unfortunately.

[@blaydCA]

@@Media523 after YOU tell them how many to place. Which is better? Videos with lots of views with an advert or two OR videos that NO ONE watches with unwatched adverts? Half a loaf of bread is better than NO loaf of bread.

[@lambsack111]

@@blaydCA May I introduce you to the chrome extension ad blocker? If it's such an issue for you...

[@melissahollowell7255]

You should ask for a refund.

[@juliostube]

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.

[@annettezak2554]

That has probably very scary. I know that feeling, ran from the Camp Fire, wildfire, CA. Lost everything but my car, 2 of my 3 cats and what I was wearing. But the clean up was much faster.

[@abbottshaull9831]

I remember this lived between Detroit Lakes and Park Lake off of U.S. 10.

[@stargazer5784]

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.

[@scarpfish]

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.

[@lyedavide]

Never underestimate nature. The people of Grand Forks may have gotten knocked down, but they sure as hell got back up. I can't even begin to imagine what a loss they suffered, and I certainly don't know if I would not been broken by a tragedy like this.

[@Theranchhouse1]

Gods awesome power revealed in the elements of the UNIVERSE.. Job 28: 25-27...Thine is the power and the Glory....!

[@dinahjackson8146]

This happens to SOOO many people... In ( ONE WAY OR ANOTHER ! ) 😞

[@edwardgrenke6417]

Wow it backflash me back to 1920's; this is story is comparable to the great flood of the Mississippi!

[@Itried20takennames]

“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.

[@onthursday1599]

Someone always gets the blame.

[@chillycheeze2207]

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.

[@terracotta6294]

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.

[@cdfdesantis699]

Dreadful for these folks. God bless them for sticking with it & building back.

[@frenchabortion]

It runs all the way here to Winnipeg and it fucked up a lot of communities here too

[@houseofsolomon2440]

Messed up the fishing pattern that spring , too. Could hardly find a walleye.

[@forever1909]

I hauled supplys from Iowa to North Dakota 2 miles wide in some places

[@TERoss-jk9ny]

I’m in love with Kelly Nelson. She’s not only beautiful, she’s tough!

[@sarahlee6641]

Does steam- tunnel connection, refer to a district heat system using gasses from power-stations?