Pipestone volunteers work to protect homes, businesses from rising floodwaters

PIPESTONE -- Business owner Barb Paulsen worked Thursday afternoon to unfold and lay out sandbags, stacking them in a pile to be grabbed by other volunteers who were filling the bags from a big load of sand that had just been dumped.

"There are businesses and homes that need saving," she said when asked what prompted her to help. "They came out and helped me, now I'm helping them. That's what a small town does."

Paulsen and about 200 other volunteers answered the call for help after several inches of rain fell Wednesday night and Thursday, causing the waters of Pipestone Creek to rise up higher than Pipestone County Sheriff Dan Delaney has even seen.

"Right now the creek is at 21.9 inches," Delaney said Thursday afternoon. "We're well over the flood stage. We're hoping it will crest in the next five hours, but that depends on whether or not we get more rain. Time will tell."

According to the National Weather Service, 5.05 inches of rain were recorded at the Pipestone river gauge, and 4.16 inches fell at the airport.

Pipestone's fire department, emergency management and city workers were out filling sandbags, along with mutual aid assistance from area departments from Jasper, Woodstock, Holland, Ruthton and more.

City crew workers and deputies worked side-by-side with business owners, home owners and local high school students, who excused for the day to help.

Pipestone Emergency Management Director Harlan Nepp said the calls went out originally for area firefighters, first responders, public works and ambulance crews.

"Then they got the students from Minnesota West. Then they got students from the high school, and when football practice got out, those boys came," Nepp said.

"We're filling the bags here, then they are distributed to private residents and businesses," Delaney explained. "So far there are 30 to 50 homes and businesses affected."

The city started out with about 5,000 sandbags, and just as they were getting to the end of their supply, more than 10,000 more were sent brought in by the Chippewa County Highway Department.

"Chippewa County Emergency Manager Marv Garbe sent them down," Nepp said. "They got here just as we were down to our last couple of bats, so they were right on time. Sometimes things just work out better than you had hoped."

Not only did people show up to help, but many local businesses provided food and water for the volunteers. Other businesses donated equipment and time.

"There has been an excellent turn-out in the community,' Delaney said. "It has been incredible."

Brent Duhoux, a member of the Edgerton Fire Department, said responding to the mutual aid call was an easy decision.

"If something like this had happened in Holland or Jasper or Woodstock, people from Pipestone would have showed up to help," he said. "Everybody who could take off work showed up to help. It's a very good turn out."

The businesses that provided food and water deserve praise, Duhoux said.

"You couldn't keep people here working without the supplies those businesses donated," he stated.

Just after 3 p.m., a dump truck backed up and dumped what would be last of 10 loads of sand.

"This is the 10th load from a dump truck, plus we had three loads from cement trucks," Duhoux said.

Residents are being asked not to use water if they can avoid it and to stay off secondary roads.

"If the water had gone over a road already, don't go there," Nepp stated. "There could be weak spots, and you could go over them and go sploosh. And if it's in the dark, you just can't tell."

Nepp also hopes people will go slow when going through areas with water. The faster vehicles move down the roads, the bigger the waves any standing water will create.

"Some of those waves come up to some of the units, and they are pretty powerful. They can break windows," Nepp cautioned. "Creep through that water."