Modern Day Flood Fighters

 

 

 

After decades of filling sandbags and building clay levees to fight flooding from the Red River, a new kind of flood fight is underway. Meet some of the men and women working to construct the FM Area Diversion project and hear their stories.

 

Katrina Nibourg
Channel Manager, ASN Constructors

Katrina Nibourg, ASN Constructors’ channel manager, moved to Fargo to help protect the community from flooding – something she has dealt with personally in the past. Watch her talk about her love for her new community and the opportunities to work on their growing team that’s building the 30-mile stormwater diversion channel that will route floodwater around the metro area.

 

Vera Roush
Document Control Manager, Diversion Inlet Structure
Steve Roush
Project Safety Manager, Wild Rice River Structure

Don’t let that newlywed gaze fool you. After 35 years of marriage, Steve and Vera Roush not only live together but also work together for Ames Construction. See the personal tragedy that fuels Steve’s passion for safety and the path that brought Vera to join him working on portions of the FM Area Diversion.

 

https://youtu.be/O2hlBykX5Bk

Rodger Olson
Member of MFDA Board & water resource districts

Rodger Olson has been involved with the FM Area Diversion project “since the beginning.” As a farmer who is passionate about the land, he shares why he’s dedicated so much of his time to water-related committees and the Metro Flood Diversion Authority Board of Authority.

 

Sara Edmondson
HR Director, ASN Constructors

Sara Edmondson loved her job in HR and had no plans to move to another company. Then she saw a chance to be a part of an impactful, history-making project, and she couldn’t resist changing jobs. Now, as the HR director for ASN Constructors, she’s helping to onboard the team that is building the 30-mile-long stormwater diversion channel that will route water around the Fargo-Moorhead metro area in times of extreme flooding.

 

Matt Pollert
Construction Superintendent, I-29 Grade Raise

The FM Area Diversion project incorporates numerous components that will work together to prevent damage from catastrophic flooding. Matt Pollert, with Industrial Builders Inc., talks about the work his team is doing on I-29, where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contractor is raising a 4.2-mile stretch of interstate out of the floodplain. More than just a construction project, it’s a harbinger of something Matt is ready to leave in the past: sandbagging and the loss that comes with it when those sandbag dikes fail.

 

Lisa Brekkestran
Senior Right-of-Way Specialist, Ulteig

Lisa Brekkestran, a senior right-of-way specialist with Ulteig, talks about her role with the FM Area Diversion project. She works closely with impacted landowners, helping them to navigate the property and flowage easement acquisition process.

 

Brandi Aune
Administrative Support, ASN Constructors

Meet Brandi Aune. She’s likely the first face you’ll see if you walk into the office for ASN Constructors, which is responsible for the stormwater diversion channel, aqueducts, and road and railroad crossings that are part of the FM Area Diversion project. If she’s not at her desk, she’s likely hustling through the building to help out — but there will be plenty of treats available for you at her desk while you wait!

 

Katey Levihn
Environmental Manager, Jacobs Engineering Group

There’s much more to the FM Area Diversion project than construction. Environmental mitigation plays an important role in each part of the project. Katey Levihn, an environmental manager with Jacobs Engineering Group, shares a bit about the many things she tracks and monitors to ensure the project protects the river, flora and fauna and plants trees and grasses native to the area.