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JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – University of Jamestown students and athletes answered the volunteering call Wednesday afternoon.

Following a emergency declaration by Jamestown Mayor Dwaine Heinrich, the city is now taking precautionary steps for potential flooding. Volunteers were asked to be at the Jamestown Civic Center to help with sandbagging.

The University of Jamestown was some of the first to jump into the action.

“We have several teams here,” City Forrester Erik Laber stated. “We have the baseball team, football, track and field.”

Laber is helping oversee some of the sandbagging efforts. He says they’ve also been contacted by some businesses and others who will be volunteering this week.

“We will have some from Farmers Union and the 9th grade football players later today.”

Jeff Wolsky with the American Red Cross Association was on scene with other Red Cross volunteers to provide snacks and refreshments for those volunteering.

“I think they’re sandbagging around 50,000,” Wolsky pointed out.

Sandbagging will continue Thursday, October 17th from 8 AM to 6 PM in the parking lot. Volunteers will be needed Friday and Saturday for sandbag placement. The city says volunteers can arrive anytime after 8 AM to the Civic Center Parking lot for disbursement.

Since mid-September, both Pipestem and Jamestown Reservoirs have experienced a high volume of water entering the system from multiple precipitation events occurring in the upper drainage basins of both river systems.

As of Monday, Jamestown Dam is releasing 1000 cubic feet per second (cfs) and Pipestem Dam is releasing 800 cfs for a combined flow of 1800 cfs.

Jamestown Sandbagging Efforts