N.D. and Minn. Students Drive Hours to Aid in Flood Efforts

On top of Concordia College and Minnesota State University - Moorhead, two other schools that anticipate nearby flooding—North Dakota State University and the University of Minnesota-Crookston—have canceled class so that students and faculty can assist in sandbagging efforts along the Red and Red Lake rivers.

The towns of Moorhead, Minn., and Fargo (where NDSU is located) expect the Red to crest by late Thursday or early Friday, and Crookston, about 70 miles away, the Red Lake to crest by Friday. City officials have ordered a voluntary evacuation of low-lying areas in Crookston, and those evacuees have been offered shelter at the University of Minnesota-Crookston campus.

Meanwhile students from other North Dakota and Minnesota campuses have driven into flood-affected areas to aid in sandbagging. The University of Minnesota-Morris volleyball team and a dozen other students have gone to Breckenridge, Minn., and Fargo, more than 100 miles away. Additionally, at least 50 University of North Dakota students skipped class, with the blessing of school officials, to head to Fargo to help. Said one UND student, "We wanted to help out our neighbors to the south so hopefully they'll return the favor when the water comes up to Grand Forks."