Young and old, retirees and students, business owners and employees all stood side by side over the weekend to help make and stack sandbags in downtown Northfield along the banks of the mighty, roiling Cannon River.
The community effort on both sides of the river helped businesses and residences try to stay dry, despite a continuing forecast calling for additional rainstorms.
Kristin Stets, whose husband Justin is CEO of Capital Management, said that while “it has been a very long weekend, luckily we are still dry on our lower level.”
Stets explained that as stressful as these floods are — the third “100 year flood” in 15 years — there was something magical about the community coming together.
“I was so struck by people from all walks of life joining in, working hard, getting dirty and smiling,” she wrote in a weekend email. “I suppose in the end we all want to matter, to make an impact, even in a small way. Obviously we are beyond grateful for everyone that showed up.”
She said that one of many favorite images on Saturday occurred while the team waited for more sand to be delivered. During the pause, two volunteers, decades apart who had never met, jumped right in with brooms to get the spot clean and ready for the next sand delivery.
“We are tired,” she said, “and not sure what the next few days will bring, but know we have a remarkable community that has our back.”
On the river’s west side, another hardworking group that included Chris Dietrich, Nic Erickson and Nate Bram, tried to keep the Froggy Bottoms pub and Lily Pad outdoor patio dry. According to an email from Susan Hvistendahl, the sister of building owner David Hvistendahl, the new barriers seemed to be working, along with a lot of pumping and have allowed only a minimum of groundwater inside the historic structure.
On Sunday afternoon, a contingent of state elected officials that included Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Tina Smith and Rep. Angie Craig visited Northfield to tour the downtown flooding. Previously, the trio had stopped in Carver and Waterville to assess the flood damage in those communities.
In Northfield, Mayor Rhonda Pownell and other city and county officials met at the fire station and then took a walking tour along the Cannon River. They spoke with business owners, volunteers and concerned residents.
Senator Klobuchar thanked the first responders and community volunteers for all they were doing to help Minnesotans in the hardest hit areas.
“As we continue to see rising flood waters cause damage, I’m working with state and local officials to monitor whether Minnesota reaches the federal threshold for a FEMA disaster declaration so relief can be delivered quickly,” said Klobuchar.
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