Minot Air Force Base lies north of the city of Minot, N.D. On an average day the base has about 12,000 people working or living on it, airmen and families, a National Guard unit and civilian employees. The base is home to the 91st Missile Wing and the Fifth Bomb Wing. The men and women assigned to the Base provide deterrence and strike capability worldwide to the President in time of war.
A heavy snow pack and unusually high rainfall in May and June combined to take the Souris River, in Canada, and the Mouse River (name changed in the U.S.) to record levels. The flood took water more than eight feet over the top of existing dikes. Mandatory evacuations in Minot, beginning June 23, and other riverside communities forced 12,000 plus people from their homes. I spoke with Lt. Col. Jon Dawson, Installation Inspector General at Minot AFB along with Captain Genieve David about the effects of the flooding on the base and its personnel.
Dawson reported that 1,178 airmen had been forced to evacuate. While most found shelter with friends and family, 70 are in an emergency shelter on base. The Air Force issued the necessary declarations and orders to allow dependents to temporarily relocate to other areas in North Dakota at its expense. It is also paying a basic housing allowance to airmen displaced by the flood.
The flood waters have dropped below the level of the permanent dikes and residents are gradually being allowed into their homes. LTC Dawson shared his own story about the flood's effects on his home and his family. He made it clear that his was just one of over a thousand stories. Many of the displaced airmen are returning to homes that may take months to repair, or that may have to be torn down completely.
There is a housing shortage in the Minot area due to the oil boom that the region is experiencing. No one, military or civilian, is certain where displaced families will be able to stay. Dawson says that base housing has a waiting list.
The base has made some additional accommodations available to displaced service families. The "Family Camp", used by incoming personnel until they find local housing, has expanded into a parking lot. More campers and RV's are now using the Camp for temporary shelter.
The "Alert Facility" has also been opened to service families. It was originally built to house the B-52 bomber crews that were on alert 24/7 during the Cold War. Now used for training, the Facility is housing some families. A bunkhouse on the lower level and a kitchen with other space on the upper level provides temporary shelter for flood victims.
Captain David told me about the significant assistance Minot AFB provided to the local authorities and the North Dakota National Guard during the flood fight. Some 300 airmen were assigned to an alternate duty location to allow them to sandbag, build dikes and perform other tasks. In addition, many airmen volunteered on their own time to assist their friends and neighbors.
The men and women of the U.S. Air Force who have seen their homes flooded face an uncertain future. Lt. Col. Dawson told me that on base Air Force chapels throughout the world are donating their free will offerings to aid the affected airmen in Minot. In addition, the public can also mail monetary donations for Minot's flooded military families to Operation Warm Heart c/o Minot Flood Fight, 22 Peacekeeper Place, Minot AFB, ND 58705.
Upstate New York resident Charles Simmins brings 30 years of accounting and finance experience and a keen interest in military affairs to the news of the day. His years of experience working with the personnel of the Secretary of Defense's New Media activity on Bloggers' Roundtables provide insights often overlooked by other reporters.
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