SARATOGA, Wyo. - While nothing is guaranteed, national, state and local officials believe the 3.6 million pounds in sand that have been laid in the last five days in Saratoga should keep damage to a minimum as floodwaters crest this weekend.
The North Platte River is expected to rise to a peak of 10.5 feet, barely topping 2011’s level of 10.49 feet in the small town. It’s this rising water that prompted a joint preventative effort by several civilian and military organizations over the past week. Multiple Wyoming Air and Army National Guard units are providing support to local civilian authorities, filling and piling more than 72,000 sandbags along the riverbank.
Saratoga Mayor John Zeiger said they have been monitoring the snowmelt and water levels closely for some time and were prepared to react when levels began to rise dramatically.
“We’ve been keeping a close eye on it because, unfortunately and fortunately, we’ve been here before and knew what to expect and what to look for,” said Zeiger. “Once the levels began to rise dramatically, we worked with the Governor’s Office through the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security to bring in the Wyoming National Guard to begin preventative work.
“I think that early work was essential, so when we reached higher and higher flood stages we weren’t scrambling to keep up,” he said. “We already had a good foundation in place and have been able to keep up with the rising threat. Of course, there are always places that have to be repaired or shored up, but I feel like we are keeping up pretty well.”
Spc. Josh Berry, a bridge crew member for the 1041st Engineer Company, said the military’s mission, while requiring a great deal of coordination and hard work, was also fairly simple.
“With all the snow this year, snow pack is much higher than usual,” he explained. “So with the warm weather lately, the runoff has been very extreme to this point. The Platte is expected to overflow its banks and we were called in to basically mitigate that via sandbags. We’ve been filling a lot of sandbags and laying a lot of sandbag walls, day in and day out.”
Soldiers from the Wyoming Guard’s 94th Troop Command arrived Sunday to begin the relief effort. They were joined Wednesday by the Army Guard’s 2/300th Field Artillery Battalion and the Air Guard’s 153rd Airlift Wing. The National Guard responded in 2011 when flooding threatened the same area, so there was room for all involved to learn from previous experience.
“I think things have went a lot smoother,” Zeiger said. “I think we had a lot of great lessons learned on how to do things, as far as the sandbagging and just getting people together.”
For some, the call was personal. Spc. Luke Frauendienst, also a member of the 1041st, has a cabin in the immediate area and knows Saratoga well. He said being able to help in an area that is near and dear to him means a great deal.
“It’s motivated me, hard core,” Frauendienst said. “When I was coming through Encampment, coming home from the cabin over the weekend, I saw how much that river was flowing – it was almost up to the trailer parks there. So I went straight back to Cheyenne, got my gear, got the phone call from my commander and I just booked it here. It just motivated me more – I just wanted to help.”
This is Frauendienst’s first flood mission, although he did spend time deployed overseas. He said the ability to help a Wyoming community means just as much as the deployment patch on his right arm.
“I like to know that the work I’m doing is helping out the people,” he said. “It is much more emotional, because these are your fellow Americans, citizens and people you personally know.
“Being overseas, all you knew about were the fellow soldiers you were deployed with. But being here in the states, it’s just much more of a connection,” he continued. “Especially with being up in and around this area all the time, you have that connection; you want to help, you don’t want to see it go to waste.”
Contributing to their surrounding communities is a significant part of the National Guard experience – and a vital part of their mission – for many soldiers and airmen. While serving one’s country is a common inspiration for joining the Guard, very often service members get the chance to serve their own home state in times of need.
“The opportunity is great, just to be able to put others above yourself and help the community,” said Barry. “And the relationships that you forge here – the camaraderie –just grows stronger. We have multiple units here, and you wouldn’t know it. Everyone’s interacting like we’re all just brothers-in-arms.”
Up to a half dozen different organizations came together over the week, including Saratoga’s local civilian authorities, the Wyoming National Guard units and volunteer groups from Team Rubicon, the Church of Latter Day Saints and the Red Cross.
On Friday, the effort was assisted by up to 70 student and staff volunteers from the University of Wyoming, a large majority of them members of the UW football team. Josh Smith, wide receiver for the team, said he felt honored to be able to give something back to the university’s fans.
“It feels great, you know?” he said. “These people from this community, they support us all year long with football … and it just feels great to come out here and give back to the community.”
With so many organizations operating side-by-side, it would be easy for chaos to ensue. However, Barry said the amount of coordination and teamwork between the different groups has been impressive.
“It’s been pretty seamless, actually,” he remarked. “The communication between the Army, Air Force and the civilians has been pretty good. It’s been really nice to get the help that we need to establish the massive sandbag walls that we’ve been building.”
That massive sandbag wall is protecting a local population of just more than 1,600 people. As water levels continue to rise, flooding is a very real threat for many homes located right along the North Platte’s riverbank, and relief groups often find themselves in people’s backyards, preventing the water from getting any closer. After their experience in 2011, the presence of the military units and their efforts is appreciated by many local townspeople, said the town’s mayor.
“After 2011, I think the community knows what to expect,” Zeiger said. “They are very appreciative of the support and help and try to show it any way they can. And I believe the National Guard has felt warmly welcomed to our town.”
The town’s kindness has not gone unnoticed by the visiting units, said Frauendienst. He has had nothing but positive encounters with the local community.
“They welcomed us with open arms,” he said. “They fed us, they’ve taken care of us, they gave us a place to stay, to crash and bunk up. Everywhere you go, you get a smile and a wave. And if they have the chance, they’ll stop you to thank you. It’s great, how they treat us so well.”
As of Friday afternoon, 55,500 sandbags have been filled and placed by participants and volunteers, and the operation is expected to continue through the weekend.
| Date Taken: | 05.28.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 06.02.2014 10:39 |
| Story ID: | 131805 |
| Location: | SARATOGA, WY, US |
| Web Views: | 64 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Wyoming National Guard piles sand high in Saratoga, by SGT Meredith Vincent, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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