The Good And The Bad Of The East Grand Forks Flood Of 1997

First, the Bad:

1. The flood happened (we sandbagged and thought that might work, but it didn't).
   
   
2. Some of us had to go to school in a different town (from April 22 to the end of the school year). It is really hard when you are not used to a school and have to come in near the end.
   
   
3. We all lost a lot of things; some of us even lost our houses.
   
   
4. It was really bad and scary when the sirens (signalling evacuation) went off in the middle of the night, and we had to get up and out.
   
   
5. Some of us have friends who have moved away for good.

The Good:

1. It (the flood and the clean up) pulled families together.
   
   
2. We got a lot of stuff -- new toys and clothes -- from FEMA and also a lot from a church in Iowa (a special thank you to Scott Morris and Kim Knoff). Some things came from Wisconsin too, and a lot of other states (almost too many to remember).
   
   
3. We got to miss some school. They cancelled school for the year in East Grand Forks right after the flood (in April) so you could either go to school in another town (see "The Bad Things" list!)or not go at all.
   
   
4. Some of us got to go to lake cabins to stay for a few months.
   
   
5. We met a lot of new people who came to help out the city, and help with the clean up.