Weather Madness

So...the unheard of is happening...the Missourri River is bloating to historic levels because of excessive precipitation and the late snow melt in the mountains of Montana.  This event is very bizarre to me because Bismarck was always very dry whenever I visted the area in the past.  Since I have moved there the story has been different and there was a big flood threat in 2009.  This strange, late spring flood is different though and has nothing to do with ice jams or anything like that.  It is going to increase throughout the month of June and the water could be around for a long time as water being released from the dam north of the city increases week by week.  It is worrisome for sure...of course sandbags have been shown to protect buildings from being indundated with water but they usually don't have to hold for weeks or even months at a time...in a current...yikes...The city is building clay walls as a first line of defense so hopefully they hold. 

I sandbagged the long weekend away, helping the family of a friend from my NDSU days and a classmate from school.  Sandbags are sure heavy!  My arms are still feeling it!  It was worth it to see the gratitude for the help.  I didn't even care about working during a traditional vacation weekend.

Our little house is an uphill climb from the river so it will stay safe.  When I left I looked at it and thought how much I would hate roll up the rugs and move the furniture out and leave it alone behind a wall of sandbags and know that I wouldn't be able to see it for days or weeks.  There are alot of people in that situation and I don't like it at all...

I made it back to Fargo last night just in time to encounter one of the more violent thunderstorms I have experienced!  As I approached the city around 8:30 on Monday night, I could see lighting in the sky and when I turned to drive toward Andrea's I found myself looking at a sky that was black like night!  It was very menacing so I drove to her street as fast as possible and pulled into the driveway just as a huge gust of wind came up so fast that I didn't have time to even grab any of my bags from the car...I ran to the front door and the screen door almost ripped off the hinges as I opened it.  Andrea was standing at the top of the stairs and informed me that I was possibly just outside in a tornado!  She had her computer on because the satellite dish had lost service.  The radar showed a red cell of storms right above us and soon we heard the emergency sirens blaring.  I think that is one of the eeriest sounds to hear!  We went to the basement until the wind calmed a bit. 

The next morning it was discovered that the satellite dish had been ripped loose and shingles had been torn from the roof.  Some of the neigbors were missing shingles, satellites, and had damage to fences.  Around town I saw mangled trampolines (they were everywhere!) and alot of broken and bent signs.  I also saw one of those igloo dog houses floating in a drainage ditch.  Apparently it wasn't a tornado but the winds were very powerful and damaging.  Some residents of the city are still waiting for their electricity to be restored. 

I generally get bored with excessive weather talk but this is all just getting too weird!