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Flood of ‘09 was life-threatening for VC man |
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Monday, 04 May 2009 |
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This is Jeff Bopp of Valley City as he wades through the deep flood waters to his home, south of Valley City, along the Kathryn Road. The road was covered with flood waters, chest deep. (Submitted photo) By Jean Schlegel
Valley City Times-Record
Almost everyone who went through the "Flood of '09" has a story to tell. But for one Valley City man, his experience might have been life-threatening.
Jeff Bopp, who lives south of Valley City, just off the Kathryn Road, was trying to wade through chest-deep water in the dark to get home. Bopp, who is director of the Sheyenne Valley Area Career & Technology Center, was headed for home about 10:30 p.m. on April 21 after attending yet another school meeting. He had waded through the deep water a number of times in his chest waders, but it had always been light out.
That night it was pitch black. "I couldn't see a thing," Bopp says. It was overcast and there was no moon. He said no one else was at home as his wife was in Argusville babysitting their granddaughter for their daughter and son-in-law. The dog was the only one home.
"No one knew I was out there," he said. "I figured someone would find me someday."
He could see shadows of the trees and headed in that direction. He had placed some snowmobile signs to mark the road, but half the signs had fallen over or were under water.
"I'd try to feel the crown of the road with my foot, and I wondered if the road was still there. If I got off the center of the graveled road, then it was muddy."
Slowly, slowly he waded through the water, which was about chest high. He finally made it home safe and sound, and was "very relieved," he says. It wasn't a good feeling, wondering if he'd actually make it home through the deep water.
It took him about 15 minutes or more to wade through the deep water to his home, which is about a quarter of mile from the Kathryn Road.
"I made up my mind I would never do that again. I told Supt. Koppelman I would have to leave the meetings earlier from then on and be home by 8:30 or 9 p.m. for sure while it was still light.
When Bopp told his wife about his scary experience, he said, "she wasn't very happy." Her response went something like, "What if you'd tipped over?! You in your full waders would have sunk like an anchor!"
The principals, and other Valley City administrators had been meeting every day and into the night with the superintendent, trying to figure out what they could do about getting the school open again, and how they could make up the two weeks they had missed, mainly because of the flood.
Bopp said they actually experienced two floods at their place. The first one was March 23 and 24. There had been rain and snow and a quick melt, which turned into overland flooding. Their neighbors also have their stories to tell. Sarah and Ted Hagen, Merle and LaVancha Jansen and Rollie and Sharissa Hochstetler and their family also were trapped behind the flooded waters, and made it to the main highway by boat and then into their vehicles, which they had parked along the Kathryn Road.
What started out as a happy occasion ... the birth of a grandson in Longmont, Colo., turned quite ugly when they came home. Bopp knew it was going to flood badly before they left Valley City on April 10, and so he went out to Lake Ashtabula and got their two boats, with paddles and oars, and left them for the neighbors to use. He took their vehicles up to the Tech Center and put three sets of chest waders in them so they'd have them when they came home.
While he was gone, he set up office in his daughter's and son-in-law's home in Colorado and kept in communication from there. There wasn't any school at the time, but he had given his cell number to everyone at the school so they could keep in touch. He also kept checking the local news media's websites in Valley City so he was on top of things.
Bopp said he also threw some sandbags in the back of his pickup to make it heavier while going through deep water. He then drove his tall pickup through 17 inches of water. It went up to his running board. And, he drove his four-wheeler through some deep water and up into the hills to get over to King school. Many people were taking the back roads so they could get into town.
Bopp said they've lived in their home for 31 years, and flooding has never been as bad as it was this year. This was the first year they had to get a sump pump. Not because of the river water, but because of the overland flooding, which caused the high water table. But they were more fortunate than many other people, who suffered devastating flooding, he said.
Bopp said this whole water thing started for him on March 10 during one of the many winter storms this year. “We didn't have school for two days and when I cam to town and stopped in to check on the Vo Tech Center building, I found water 2 inches deep in the hallways and about half of the building,” he said. “I guess I've had more than my share of dealing with water issues.”
Bopp said as time goes by, most people will remember this flood by the many stories everyone has to tell about what they went through to try and beat it. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 07 May 2009 )
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