Flooding causes damage in Staples area

Staples World photo by Dawn Schimpp Timbs Surrounded by water Dan and Betty Posner of Motley were forced to leave their home when the Crow Wing River flooded March 24, due to an ice jam. Normally, their house sits 75 feet from the river bank, Dan said. Although the Posner's garage was filled with water, thanks to a cement border around their house, their basement remained relatively dry. By March 29, the water had begun to recede and the Posners were able to return home shortly after. "I wouldn't try getting in here without a four-wheel drive, though," Dan added. For more flood pictures of the Motley area, see pg. 1b. High water from the Crow Wing and other area rivers last week caused flooding in private homes and some businesses in the Staples area, most of it beginning Wednesday and Thursday and continuing into this week.

Rainfall Tuesday and Wednesday, March 24 and 25, added to the snowmelt to raise the Crow Wing and Long Prairie rivers to flood stages unseen since at least 1997, and possibly exceeding those levels.

Several roads in Wadena County were closed, including County Road 30 near The Vintage golf course. The Wadena County Board held an emergency session Thursday, declaring a state of emergency situation and opening the way for potential

federal reimbursem ent for some damages.

" I ' v e never seen water over the second hole's green," Glen Hasselberg said

of the situation on Thursday morning at The Vintage.

Everyone from neighbors to just plain strangers turned out at several locations Thursday and Friday to help those threatened by the high water. In many cases, sand bagging efforts stopped the rising water in homes near The Vintage golf course and other locations along the Crow Wing.

Several home owners, however, failed in their efforts to keep the water out. That was the case for Duff and Heather Erholtz, whose home on the north side of the Crow Wing in Cass County's Becker Township received water in their lower level. They awoke Thursday morning to the smell of sewer gas, as rising water stopped up their basement floor drains. Worst still, the Crow Wing's water rose over their driveway, leaving them temporarily cut off from help.

Relatives and neighbors came to their assistance, with the family getting a boat ride Thursday morning to dry land near the LeRoy Hamberg home. Then friends, neighbors and volunteers helped build sandbag dikes around the lower levels of both homes, as well as others in the flood plain in that vicinity.

Early Friday morninghowever, water came over the dike at the Erholtz residence, flooding their basement level. Duff Erholtz reported Monday he had as much as 18 inches of water in their lower level at different times over the weekend.

Upriver, the rising Crow Wing water worried homeowners near The Vintage, where sandbag dikes were built to protect at least three homes.

Staples Motley High School students and teachers on Thurssday joined Staples Volunteer firemen, relatives and friends of the families to protect Scott and Jean Odden's new home, Robert and Missy Stracek's home and Kim and Roger Braith's home, all located on or near Wadena County Road 30 (Golf Course Road) just south of the river and the bridge.

Earlier the same day, many of those same volunteers had filled and hauled sandbags at the Dale and Deb Hausman home just downstream from the golf course. Fire Department members and a busload of students had also filled bags and built a dike around the Wahoo Valley tavern building Thursday, standing in water and amid snow flurries as they completed much of their

task.

Flood waters from the Leaf River also caused damage to homes in the vicinity of the Thomastown Covenant Church, homes located on or near Wadena County Road 29. James and Margaret Kenyon had water seep into their basement, coming up about three to four feet. Nearby homeowner Connie Sather was probably not as lucky, as her home was flooded before anyone could get there to help build a sandbag barrier.

Staples Fire Department members responded to the above locationsFlooding was also reported along the Red Eye River in the Nimrod area and in and near Sebeka. To the south the Long Prairie River overflowed it's banks in and near Long Prariei, also causing flooding.

In Wadena County, the county's sandbag supply was exhausted very quickly by Thursday morning. More sandbags were acquired Thursday, and more came also on Friday.

A distribution center for the sandbags was established. Residents can call Wadena County Emergency Management at 218- 631-7795 between the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. After hours contact the Wadena County Sheriff's Department at 218-631-7600.

Record spring rain fed river, streams

While the snow melt accounted for much of the excess water that covered the Staples area last week, heavy rains early in the week contributed also.

According to Mark Seeley, University of Minnesota Extension meteorologist, the storm system from March 22 to 25 was relatively slow moving and brought record-setting amounts of precipitation to many Minnesota areas. Among those reporting record amounts were Grand Forks and Fargo N.D., Bemidji with 1.30 inches; and Staples with 2.04 inches.

The amounts at Staples, and some other locations were not only daily records but some of the highest 24-hour amounts ever observed in the month of March.

As a result, Seeley noted, many watersheds rose above flood stage for a time.