Muskie Fellow Experiences North Dakota-Style Community Action

Over the past century, residents of Fargo, North Dakota, have seen the Red River, which flows along the city's eastern border, rise as high as 41 feet during the rainy season. When flooding threatens, the people of Fargo pull together to minimize the damage to their community. This spring, Sirjoddin Eshmatov, a Muskie fellow from Uzbekistan studying agricultural economics at North Dakota State University, was proud to join the community action and contribute to help prevent flooding in the city that has become his new home.

Sirojiddin never knew the effects that floods can have on a community until arriving in Fargo, but was moved to action after hearing stories about the devastation caused by past flooding. "Floods are an environmental as well as economic loss for the nation, whether they occur in small scale or large scales," he observed. "Flood damage impacts rural communities which are suffering from poverty.” Living on the far western side of Fargo, away from the Red River, Sirojiddin knew that any flooding would not affect him or his university directly, but he still wanted to help. After seeing a bulletin in the international student office on campus, he signed up to spend a Saturday filling sand bags with other international students.

Arriving at the volunteer station, Sirojiddin found himself surrounded by large piles of sand, thousands of empty bags and many other community members ready to help. For the next twelve hours, working with a smaller group of volunteers, Sirojiddin filled 20-pound bags with sand and piled them on the back of large flatbed trucks to be taken to the river. By the end of the day, he had helped flood prevention efforts by filling more than 500 bags with his group. He was also able to make friends with people from across the local community, observing firsthand the value Americans place on community service. Seeing people from outside of the flood area drive long distances to work together, Sirojiddin reflected, “I was surprised how many people helped, even if they didn’t have anything to lose in the flood."

By March 21 of this year, the Red River had swelled to almost 37 feet, yet Fargo saw little damage, thanks to the actions of citizens from the surrounding area who came together in the flood prevention efforts. Looking back on his volunteer experience, Sirojiddin says his main lesson learned is “to help people, even when they are not your friends, your neighbors or your family.” Upon returning to Uzbekistan, he plans to organize service projects bringing together his own community to help others.