Community comes together to save water plant

By DUANE NOLLEN
The Oskaloosa Herald

OSKALOOSA June 19, 2008 11:16 am

— A cross-section of the Mahaska community — doctors, college administrators, Red Cross volunteers, city employees and common workers — joined as one Thursday morning to help build sandbag levies to protect the Oskaloosa water works from flood waters.
Mahaska County Emergency Management Coordinator Jamey Robinson assembled volunteers at 7:30 a.m. Thursday to begin filling sandbags to build a protective wall around the northside of the water works, near the rising South Skunk River.
The effort began with nine or 10 volunteers at 8 a.m. and the group grew to about 80 as people arrived at the scene to help.
Robinson said there were police officers, firefighters, New Sharon city employees on scene. Then, numerous businesses sent people to help. Other businesses donated items like work gloves, food and water for the workers.
The volunteers had their work cut out for them. Robinson said the group filled about 3,000 sandbags.
Volunteer Jennifer Coon, of Oskaloosa, took a quick break from work as rain began to fall around 10 a.m.
“It’s rained, but it’s better than 100-degree weather, “ she said.
Trent Kerr, of Oskaloosa, decided to pitch in and help at the water works site. He arrived there around 8 a.m.
“When we first started, it let off, but the last half hour, there was rain and thunder,” he said.
Kerr was adamant about his motivation to help at the site.
“Save the water plant. … I’ve got to drink water,” he said. “My brother called around 7 o’clock and said to come down.”
Kerr’s job was to finish the sandbag process.
“I ran a twister. I tied bags up,” he said.
Kerr said he’d help out again if it’s needed.
Bruce Spahr, of Oskaloosa, took time off from work to help at the water works. He’s the Emergency Room director at Mahaska Hospital.
“I feel like it’s my duty to the community,” he said.
Spahr said this isn’t his first experience with floods — he was in Des Moines during The Flood of 1993.
“I know what it’s like to be without water,” he said.
Spahr said he hopes the levies hold in Eddyville and Ottumwa because he thinks this summer could be worse than 1993. But, he feels pretty good about the community’s ability to handle the situation.
“There’s much more preparation this time around,” he said. “We learned something in ‘93.”
Shawna Williams, of Oskaloosa, is a Red Cross volunteer who arrived on scene at 8:30 a.m. Williams said she recently joined the Red Cross because in the wake of the Parkersburg tornadoes, she wants to help people.
“We got some drinks and snacks for the volunteers,” she said. She said eight Red Cross volunteers were on site Thursday.
Although this was Williams’ first emergency, she knew what to expect.
“It’s what I expected — sandbagging is pretty self-explanatory,” she said.
Erin Sherwood, of Oskaloosa, had the day off, but decided to come out to the water works to help out.
“Osky needs its water,” she said.
Sherwood was not alone at the site — her husband and daughter joined her to work.
Sherwood was pleased with the community effort.
“It’s nice to see the community come together,” she said. “It’s cool when the community comes together. I know a lot of people from the community — doctors, cops, construction workers.”
This also isn’t Sherwood’s first flood experience.
“We lived along the Des Moines River in ‘93. We boated in and boated out,” she said. “I think it’ll be worse than ‘93 with all the rain.”
Mike Orndorff was working at Wal-Mart this morning when Robinson gave him a call. Orndorff is the assistant manager at night at the store.
Wal-Mart donated food, drinks and work gloves for the effort, and Hy-Vee provided lunches for the workers after they completed the sandbag wall, around 10:30 a.m.
“The community takes care of us and we take care of the community,” he said.
Orndorff put in a lot of work at the site.
“I scooped sand from the time I got here,” he said.
Don Wheeler, campus manager of Vennard College, brought a group of seven college employees out to help at the site.
“We were a sandbag-filling crew,” he said. “We’re just happy to help out. This is what community is all about.”
Volunteers were recalled twice to place more sandbags at the water works. They came out at 3:30 and worked to about 5:30 p.m. They later came back out at 11:30 p.m. Thursday and worked until noon Friday.
“Because of what we did yesterday (Thursday afternoon) we didn’t have any intrusion,” Water Department General Manager Chad Coon said Friday.
Local businesses such as Musco, Clow, MCG and Vermeer also sent work crews to the water plant to help in the sandbagging effort. The workers labored over night into the morning under Musco lights as they saved the water plant.
Coon said that the bags could probably hold a level of up to 26.5 feet, which is above the record stage of 25.8 feet.
Herald Editor Duane Nollen can be reached by email at oskynews@oskyherald.com

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