I am going to have a lot of work ahead of me to find out all the stories and news releases about the Mouse River Flood.
Because there was not actually a flood in Minot, I don't remember hearing any one specific spokesperson from Minot, although I have a feeling it would probably be the mayor, Curt Zimbleman.
However, there were many outlying communities that were affected, like Velva, Westhope, Upham, Willow City, Burlington, etc. who were affected. But because of the small size of those communities, I don't know that I will find any singular voice to label as the primary spokesperson.
That is why I believe that probably in our larger community, the recognized source to look to for information has probably become the local news media--primarily the TV stations. The paper has also had a lot of coverage, but the TV stations have more immediate coverage as well as updates on their websites. I'm thinking that is where I will begin my research.
I think this whole project will be quite tangled and confusing and I'm probably going to have to unwind it myself. Minot was preparing for flooding like the other major communities in the state, but because they were mostly spared, it was sor tof the big deal that flopped. It was a big deal, but the city did not have to deal with the major upheaval that other cities like Valley City and Fargo did. And now they still have cleanup to do just like the other cities--sandbags need to be hauled away, the arena needs to be cleaned--but all without the major climax of imminent danger.
Of course this is a good thing--people were spared a lot of damage and stress by not having to go through the ordeal that Valley City has dealt with, but it still leaves a bit of a lost feeling in that all the community support did not really end in a large "Hoorah! We saved the town!"
I hope that I am able to put together a decent project based on the information I find. These types of projects aren't my favorite, but I think it will be ok. Now if only the procrastination bug doesn't bite....
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I think you have a great task at your hands. Minot wasn't in the public eye as much so you are going to have to dig deeper to see how they communicated and fought the flood. Frankly, the fact that they didn't have a flood is a amazing thing. I am glad to see they were ready and waiting for it to happen. It is always better to be safe than sorry.
ReplyDeleteGood luck in all of your digging. I think you are off to a good start. It is going to be an interesting paper.