Mission: Unususal
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
April 1, 2009
Near Harwood, North Dakota


Matt Vanthuye/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: 

Very unusual. We are used to doing bird surveys. So this isn't something we do very often. 

At first we were going in and taking people out who wanted or needed to be evacuated.  After that we were doing welfare checks on people make sure they were still doing okay. 

Richard Johnston/U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service:  

We literally got to the point where the sheriff said Tell the folks, enough.   This is your last opportunity.We will come out in an emergency and maybe that will trigger them to finally come out.   

You know I got my dog in here, and I am not leaving without my dog. We are saying Okay bring your dog with you.  We will bring you out. Some people are adamant about not leaving their animals and stuff.  

One of the most important things we could do after we did the initial search and rescue is go around and check residences that are already abandoned. Very much like what was done during hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  We took colored duck tape and placed on the doors so that the operators when they approached they could tell right off the bat that it was an empty residence they could move on. 

There is very little in the way of resources, boats or anything else that could get over here. We crossed many roads and what not; this is about the only resource possible that could get out here and the county just didn't have any of them.  So we happen to have a whole bunch that we use to do our job. This happened to be the idea resource to get out here. 

How many days you have been in the house?

Shawn Sand, homeowner:

Since Thursday, since Thursday.  You got enough food. Yea, we are  on that. 

I didn't know what else we possibly could have done, spend time with our families, this is our home too.

Janene and Shawn Sand/Harwood Homeowner:  I got a little bit nervous on Saturday. Like I said the water was coming across the road and we tried to get to town. But we have been here since.

West Fargo did get a hold of us, they had a couple of boats out, one on Saturday, two on Sunday, and they did call us the situation about the weather that was really decent of them calling us but... 

the number of people who come out to take care of us, check up on us, I didn't know that was even part of it. I am impressed, very impressed.

Richard Johnston/U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service:  

You know we are not a search and rescue agency but you get called out.  It just so happens we have guys who know how to use these boats real well because that is what they do as part of their regular job so they have that skill set that is so special they can plug right into the need here. 

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