JAMESTOWN -- Overland flooding continued to threaten the Anne Carlsen Center after Monday's evacuation of students and medical equipment.
"We are facing threats on two fronts; overland flooding and ice jams," said Brenda Scholten, marketing and communications director at ACC.
To combat the approaching precipitation, about 200 volunteers filled and piled sandbags Tuesday, with at least 100 volunteers helping on Monday, Scholten said.
Between the two days, more than 13,000 sandbags were filled using 5 tons of sand, Scholten said.
The bags were placed in 3-foot mounds around the two dozen or so entrances to the Anne Carlsen Center, she said.
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The volunteers were told they could start going home around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Scholten said.
A large portion of volunteers Tuesday were Jamestown College students.
Scholten estimated 80 came to volunteer.
One student, Tiffany Friesen, a freshman from Morden, Manitoba, Canada, came to volunteer after classes and before work.
She came to help her community, she said.
"I'm not from here but I feel like I live here," she said.
Jamestown College athletic teams were volunteering as well.
"From the football team's perspective, it's important to give back to the community because of the support they give us," said Steve Barthel a sophomore football player from Watertown, Minn.
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Barthel said he feels a connection to the community.
"Jamestown is such a good place, it feels good we can all come together and help out even though we aren't from here," Barthel said.
The overland flooding threat was held in check by the work of volunteers and six pumps, Scholten said.
But the danger of an ice jam still looms.
"If the river backs up, that could be another thing," she said.
The James River runs along the Anne Carlsen Center campus and an ice jam would lead to the river flooding, causing more problems, Scholten said.
"Things could get all backed up and that could affect us," she said.
Scholten said the center is continually monitoring the situation and that more volunteers may be needed today.
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"We are very vulnerable at this time with where we are at," she said.
Scholten reported no damage to the building since the evacuation Monday.
She also reported the 56 evacuated students are doing fine in their new locations.
Scholten said the teachers are spending time with their students, and they packed their educational materials in containers and took them to the four locations.
Currently 20 students are at the Jamestown Civic Center, 19 at the Jamestown Hospital, 12 at Ave Maria Village and five at Hi-Acres Manor.
"The (learning) structure is being maintained, which is very important," Scholten said.
One organization helping the Anne Carlsen Center and its volunteers is the Buffalo Valley Red Cross.
"They are utilizing our shelter agreement with the city, so they can use one of the rooms in the Civic Center," said Beth Dewald, executive director Buffalo Valley Red Cross.
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Buffalo Valley Red Cross also had three people serving sandwiches to hungry sandbag volunteers, Dewald said.
"We're an organization that serves our communities, and they were a group in need," Dewald said.
