Fargo Salvation Army Begins Flood Service, Preparation

The Fargo Salvation Army is in full flood mode in anticipation of what could be another year of record flooding in the Red River Valley.

In the past week, disaster services staff have trained more than 50 volunteers to serve food, drive mobile service vehicles (canteens) and offer other support to area residents should the river rise to the historic levels it did in 2009.

On March 1, trained Salvation Army volunteers began serving sandwiches, snacks and hydration to hundreds of people at “Sandbag Central” in Fargo, where locals are working 12 hours a day to fill 1.5 million sandbags by March 17. Volunteers are also serving sandbaggers at a similar operation in neighboring Moorhead.

 “We’re making and serving about 525 sandwiches a day,” said Captain Bill Mealy, administrator of the Fargo Salvation Army. “We expect to ramp up these efforts as the fight against the flood heats up. We’re trying to be very proactive this year.”

Proactive indeed: The Fargo Salvation Army already has six canteens on standby, and has acquired an entire warehouse for its flood operation.

“Last year space was too tight in our regular facility,” Mealy said. “Moving our flood operation outside of the building will allow our daily service to continue without disruption.”

Last year the Red River crested at 40.84 feet in Fargo. There is a 98 percent chance the city will experience major flooding again this year, the National Weather Service predicted.