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Pete
Kvistad
Interviewed by Kitty Maidenberg
A senior at red
River High School, Pete Kvistad was one of the few
people who stayed in their homes after their
neighborhoods were evacuated. he talked about what it
was like to be in Grand Forks living in a state of
nature&endash;no central electricity or sewage, no
running water, and no stores. He was interviewed by
Kitty Maidenberg at his south end home on Hughes Court
on July 29, 1997.
KITTY: People are
talking about this as a time that really changed their
lives. This experience you had was a little different
from other people's, but it was still quite an
important experience. Did it change you?
PETE: I'm sure it
changed my life in a big way because I was growing up
really fast. just normally I wouldn't do things like
this. I was going all the time for like three days,
running around, I didn't have time to stop and sit
down. It was a big responsibility. I had to sit up
there that night with the flashlight all by myself and
watch the pumps. If I would have fallen asleep or
something like that it would have all been over
because sometimes a pump would quit and I had to
change a pump. I drank Coca Cola until I was blue,
just for the caffeine, to stay awake. And when I
finally did go to sleep, I slept for like twenty
hours. I've never slept that much before.
KITTY: Were the stars
pretty that night?
PETE: Yeah. The stars
were really pretty. it was clear, I mean, it didn't
rain at all for a month. We had a drought after the
flood. the moon was really bright, which helped
immensely. I mean, if it would have been a cloudy
night it would have been ten times worse. The moon was
really bright. And you'd look out and there was just a
lake in front of you. it was really weird. And the
light shining off of it was really pretty. it was all
just shimmering. I remember one time my dad reached
down in the water and he grabbed onto a fish. When the
flood was going down and we had everything under
control, we sat out and barbecued and my uncles came
in and helped us. They threw a fishing line in the
water and we just fished off our porch.
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