KINDRED, N.D. - One of the North Dakota National Guard's quick reaction force (QRF) teams responded to a call here today, where floodwaters threatened a home.
The team, comprised of Soldiers from Wishek's 815th Engineer Company, is stationed at the Community Center in Hickson, N.D.
Within 15 minutes of getting the call, they were at the white farmhouse a mile east of Kindred along the Sheyenne River with two 20-ton dump trucks filled with more than 1,000 sandbags, as well as a skid-steer loader and high-wheeled vehicle.
The team of 10 Soldiers, along with the homeowners and neighbors, quickly started building a sandbag dike around the home.
"I'm very, very appreciative for you guys coming out," said Dave Hartfiel, the homeowner. "Last year when this happened, we stayed high and dry. This year, even before it hit flood level, we started jumping the banks over in the back, and never really expected it to get this bad."
As the Guardsmen worked to haul sandbags around the home, the water continued to rise quickly.
"This whole field filled up since we got here, in not even an hour's time," said 1st Lt. Dan Otto, the liaison officer between the county and the QRF teams.
Water was flowing down the driveway and into a storage building, where about 6 inches already stood under a horse trailer and boat there.
"Since we've been here, the water has come up. We're building a dike around his house, and had we not shown up with the sandbags and the people to do that, his house would've went under," Otto said.
Despite the cold water rising and splashing around them, the Guardsmen were glad to be there.
"I live in Fargo, so it's nice to help the community," said Sgt. Robert A. Rau, who was on the QRF team along with his brother, Spc. Steve Rau, of Bismarck.
Hartfiel, who was soaked with the cold water of the Sheyenne, as well, was glad for their help.
"These guys have been great. They've done a wonderful job," he said. "I want to really thank you guys for coming out, and we really appreciate your help."
The Guard gets the notice to respond on QRF missions such as this when the city or an individual contacts the Cass County Tactical Operations Center.
The Operations Center "will notify me that there's a need, and if it's something we can support, then I will call the team directly and I will say, "OK, guys, get ready to go,'" Otto said. "We'll dispatch the sheriff or the deputy to meet the team at the site and they will escort them in, and then, of course, we notify our EOC (emergency operations center) and the other agencies so that everybody knows what's going on."
That process has played out three times in the past 24 hours.
"We've had two responses out of the Hickson site and one out of our Harwood site," Otto said. "The first response was about 6 o'clock yesterday afternoon, we responded about a mile east of here. And then last night at about midnight our Harwood team responded up north, and then again this morning at about 8 o'clock, and that's when these guys responded" near Kindred.
While not needed in a response yet this week, a paramedic from F-M Ambulance accompanies each Guard QRF team. This allows for faster medical assistance in rural areas, when needed, and provides additional safety for the medical personnel who last year sometimes had to venture into flooded areas with an ambulance, Otto said. Now, the Guard's high-wheeled vehicles make for safer transportation and evacuation.
The North Dakota National Guard continues to have six QRFs stationed in Cass County — four in Fargo, one in Hickson and one in Harwood. Heavy engineer equipment, along with a supply of 1.5-ton sandbags that can be aerially placed, stand ready at the North Dakota Air National Guard base for bigger emergency responses.