Calm chaos in Ellendale

In the midst of what had the potential of being pure chaos, there was a spirit of calm and collectedness in Ellendale last Friday. Ellendale may be just a county away, but preparedness is the message that I would love to bring to the forefront here in Dodge County also.
I witnessed such great community cohesion and it makes me proud to know that whether it’s Ellendale, Kasson, Dodge Center or other small towns in southeastern Minnesota, there is another level that we Minnesotans ascend to in the midst of disaster.
Shortly before sunrise a southbound Union Pacific train jumped the tracks just outside Ellendale, setting into motion disaster plans that involved evacuating the entire community. Emergency personnel went door-to-door making sure everyone would make a quick but safe exit out of their homes. No doubt some fear and uncertainty overcame people as they made a run for it.
I arrived in Ellendale to cover the train derailment and subsequent evacuation around 8 a.m. Though Ellendale is certainly not a bustling hub of activity most days, there was a certain eerie feeling and chill in the air when I drove through Main Street to reach the incident command center at United Methodist Church on the west end of town. 
I found businesses closed, no vehicles around (other than emergency vehicles), no people and hardly any sign of life in the small community that has been a part of the Steele County landscape since 1900. After what happened earlier in the morning, there were no trains blasting through town either. It was like traveling through a ghost town. Even for a small city, Ellendale is anything but a deserted town any time of the year. 
It’s ironic that the founder of Ellendale was Ellen Dale Ives, who was the wife of a prominent railroad official. The city, which was built around the railroad, recognizes its importance by bearing an image of a train on the city sign welcoming folks to town. 
Once I reached the command center, which also ended up being the evacuation shelter for residents, I marveled at the response from local emergency crews. Fire departments and ambulance services from multiple jurisdictions descended on Ellendale to save the town. Sheriff Lon Thiele, along with his counterpart from Freeborn County, Sheriff Kurt Frietag, appeared to have things well under control in the emergency command center. Mike Johnson, the county’s emergency management director, also joined in to keep Ellendale the safe haven it normally is for 691 residents.  
Besides the emergency response, I was also impressed with city council member Stephanie Kibler, who made herself available to answer any questions residents had about what was happening with the situation. 
“Our fire department is spot on,” Kibler said. “I’m pleased with how they are responding. I don’t think we could do it any better.”
Kibler, a lifelong resident of Ellendale, is not aware of the town ever being evacuated before. In the face of chaos, she expressed concern about her fellow citizens. She overheard a story about a sheriff’s deputy who had to “charm a resident out of their house,” during the evacuation. “My biggest concern was some of the residents who didn’t want to leave their homes,” she said. 
“It’s kind of scary,” Kibler admitted. “It’s a little surreal to have everyone displaced,” she said.
In the fellowship area, Allie Larson led the volunteers’ efforts to prepare food for evacuees and emergency responders. 
By 12:15, the sheriff appeared at a news conference giving the green light to residents to go back home. Many residents who attended the briefing broke out with applause.
Our public safety heroes once again brought peace and calm to what had all the makings of turning a chaotic situation into something even worse.
Residents in Ellendale will be allowed to go in hot pursuit of enjoying their peaceful small town life once again. Here in Dodge County, for today, all is at peace, but in times of tribulation, we are small town Minnesota with a spirit to meet any challenge.