Courtesy Photo | This year, the Minot KOA on Highway 52 on the eastern edge of Minot has seen another...... read more read more
By Spc. Cassandra Simonton and Staff Sgt. Eric Jensen
MINOT, N.D. - More than 20 North Dakota Guardsmen have spent this year's flood fight standing at the ready with high-wheeled vehicles and large trucks at the Armed Force Reserve Center in Minot to respond to potential flooding in areas within Ward County.
Despite the unsettling appearances of the swollen Des Lacs and Souris rivers and reports last week of a deteriorating dam on the Des Lacs, the Guardsmen are optimistic that minimal problems will arise within their area of operations. However, they are ready to respond around the clock, if needed.
"I'm hoping it's low-key," Sgt. Wade Picard, of the 164th Engineer Battalion and non-commissioned officer-in-charge of one of the two Guard quick reaction forces on stand-by in Minot said after starting the mission. "We're more than willing to do our part, but hopefully it doesn't come to that."
Picard remembers the epic flood fight in 2009 when he and his fellow Guardsmen worked with emergency managers in Burlington to shore up homes and deliver sandbags. North Dakota National Guard soldiers worked from late March all the way through the Easter holiday conducting flood-fighting operations.
Picard said he spent most of his holiday that year out sandbagging. After his duty day, he returned home and was later called out again for a sandbag hauling mission.
"I was pretty much driving truck all night until the sun came up the next morning, and then I went home," he said.
Generous community members did treat the Guardsmen to an Easter meal at the City Hall in Burlington, but Picard won't forget the many hours he put in to battle rising waters. In contrast, this year has been relatively calm.
"It's tough to be sitting on stand-by, but everyone knows what the alternative is," Picard said.
Capt. Steve Bohl, the officer-in-charge of the Minot QRFs, said that his Soldiers were staged from early April through April 18 and prepared to conduct an inter-agency response. The Guardsmen would augment local police forces to conduct evacuations in the event water rose to higher-than-expected levels. Bohl said that he and other emergency services representatives have been meeting routinely since flood preparations began months ago.
"That's been the key to preparing for this, is building those relationships,"
he said.
On April 14, Bohl joined North Dakota Gov.Jack Dalrymple and Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, North Dakota adjutant general, to tour some of the high water areas around Burlington. He said he noticed that those they visited seemed more at ease after seeing the various state agencies in the area.
"There's a calming effect that the Guard brings," Bohl said. "The National Guard cares about the citizens we serve. We know that if there's a need, we will be ready to assist."
Part of that assistance requires the Guardsmen to maintain their equipment in order to respond effectively. The QRFs are able to draw upon the resources offered by 10 full-time maintenance technicians. Chief Warrant Officer Galen Roness, who works full-time at the Armed Forces Reserve Center's maintenance shop, said that he has equipment ready for a multitude of jobs.
"We can push, pull, drive or drag most anything into here (maintenance bay)," he said. "All we can do is wait for a call and make sure the equipment we have is ready and available."
Volunteer Guardsmen from across the state representing multiple units comprised the Minot QRFs, including the 957th Engineer (Multi-Role Bridge) Company, of Bismarck; the 816th Engineer Company, of Dickinson; the 818th Engineer Company (Sapper), of Williston; and the 164th Engineer Battalion, of Minot.
Bohl said he was impressed by how quickly the soldiers responded when asked to volunteer.
"Within six hours from the time we called, whether they were sitting on their couch at home or working at their jobs, they were all here and ready to operate," he said.
| Date Taken: | 04.18.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 04.19.2011 11:41 |
| Story ID: | 68979 |
| Location: | MINOT, ND, US |
| Web Views: | 114 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Guardsmen Ready for Flood Mission Up North If Called Upon, by SSG Eric Jensen, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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