River

threatens

home on

Shag Road

Students, co-workers team up in sandbagging efforts

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Mary Koch breathed a sigh of relief as the rising Minnesota River crept towards the six-foot high wall of sandbags on three sides of her house on Shag Road Thursday afternoon.

"It's a lot of work," Koch said. "Those sandbags are heavy and I'm glad it's done. Now we sit, wait and keep an eye on it."

The excitement actually started Wednesday night when the sanitary sewer backed up through Koch's basement floor drains.

There used to be a 12-foot hill between the Koch house and the river. Now the river is in the front yard.

Her two grandsons, Travis and Blake Thorson, rounded up some of their New Ulm High School classmates and began sandbagging the Koch home shortly after 8 a.m. Thursday.

The Kochs called Hoffmann Construction for sand. They contacted the city for sandbags. The city then called Brown County Emergency Management, which had the city order sandbags for the Kochs.

Friends passed the word and before long, 30 people were laboring with sand and bags. Volunteers hauled sandbags on four wheelers.

"Some people we didn't know came over from Nicollet County," Koch said. "We called KNUJ radio and put out the word that we needed help. We live outside the city limits so it was more of a challenge to get things going. Once we got what we needed, we got it done in record time."

Koch, a clerk coordinator at Kraft Foods, got help from her work mates that helped deliver food for the volunteers. Employees from 3M Co. also assisted.

"We're on level ground so the water moves fast when it gets close," Koch said. "Right now, I'm too exhausted to think much."

The Minnesota River reached 803.9 feet Thursday. Flood stage is 796. It is expected to hit 804.6 Friday, 805.4 Saturday, 806.9 Sunday, 808.1 Monday and crest at 808.5 Tuesday. The 1997 crest was 811.

The Cottonwood River reached 13 feet at New Ulm Thursday. It is forecasted to hit 13.6 Friday, and crest at 14 feet Saturday and Sunday. Flood stage is 11 feet.

Berm construction on South Front and South Valley in New Ulm is expected to be completed today. Closed roads include South Front from 7th to 14th South and side streets between Front and Valley, from 9th to 14th South.

New Ulm Police warn all citizens to stay off the river and away from newly constructed berms, which are not safe to climb on. Anybody on or near the berms should be reported to the police department at 233-6750.

The Public Works Department non-emergency phone number is 359-8296.

The Brown County Sheriff is asking the public to not boat on the Minnesota River between the Beussman bridge and the bridge located at 20th South Street/Nicollet County 37.

The request was made due to a large amount of debris in the water, the high water level under the bridge decks, and damage caused by boat wakes to flood berms and sandbags.

State Highway 99 was closed at the east edge of St. Peter Thursday. State Highway 4 was closed Wednesday at the north edge of Sleepy Eye.

Renville County roads closed are Highway 1 at North Redwood, 5 south of Franklin, 3 on the river bottom between Fairfax and Franklin, 21 and 6 south of Renville, 15 between county 71 and 1, 12 south of Sacred Heart and 53, one mile west of 1.

Redwood County roads closed are 101 over the Redwood River, 17 at the Gold Mine Bridge, 6 north of Delhi, and 19 over the river.

Water levels in Watonwan County were changing so fast, the dispatcher could not provide a list of roads closed.

Flood reports can be found at Mn/DOT's website at www.dot.state.mn.us and click on road conditions.

The state highway department reminds motorists that it is illegal to drive around closed road barricades.