The city of Moorhead, Minn., is returning a favor to its neighbors in Wadena, Minn.
Moorhead, which had help from Wadena during the 2009 flood fight, is now assisting Wadena in the aftermath of last week's tornado.
Moorhead sent seven public works personnel, chain saws and several trucks to Wadena on Saturday through Monday to clear tree debris from areas hit by the tornado, said City Manager Michael Redlinger.
On Wednesday, Moorhead Public Service sent four linesmen to assist with restoring power to portions of the city, Redlinger said.
In addition, the Moorhead Police Department has had two squad cars in Wadena.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Clay County Sheriff's Office has had one to two deputies in Wadena, directing traffic and patrolling areas hit by the tornado, Sheriff Bill Bergquist said.
In 2009, Wadena Mayor Wayne Wolden came to Moorhead to sandbag and brought a busload of students and staff from Minnesota State Community and Technical College-Wadena.
"He was very willing to help us out in '09, so it just wasn't even a question that we see what we can do to help them out, especially in these early stages," Moorhead Mayor Mark Voxland said.
Wolden said he called Voxland this week to thank him and invite him to see the damage in Wadena.
"I guess I'm in this really unique sorority right now of community mayors who have been through tragedy," Wolden said.
Officials are keeping track of the expenses and they anticipate Moorhead and Clay County will be reimbursed for the expenses through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Reporter Heidi Shaffer contributed to this report.
Amy Dalrymple is a reporter at The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, which is owned by Forum Communications Co.
