“How high’s the water, daddy?” Johnny Cash famously sang.
Volunteer sandbaggers found out the answer to that question when they converged at the Dawson Community Building about 1:30 p.m. Saturday to help fill sandbags and fortify the city’s fresh-water infrastructure against the rising Raccoon River.
“We had roughly 20 voluteers from the Perry Fire Department,” said Dawson Mayor Brianna Morman, “plus Dallas County Deputy Sheriff Sgt. Ryan Bowers, Greene County Deputy Sheriff Caleb Jans and roughly 15 Dawson residents who volunteered.”
Low walls of sandbags were constructed around the city’s wells and the pumphouse along County Road P46 just south of the river.
Potential volunteer sandbaggers were originally told the work would begin at 3 p.m., but in fact it was over before it started because the sand was delivered about 1 p.m., and the volunteers were done by 2:45 p.m.
“We’re very thankful to everyone who came out and helped,” Morman said. The North Raccoon River is forecast to crest at 21.8 feet, or 6.8 feet above flood stage, early Tuesday morning and then recede.
