Remembering the record flood of 1979, when the Red River crested at 48.8 feet, more than 20 feet above its 28 foot flood stage, Grand Forks and East Grand Forks began raising levees on both sides of the river. By March, thousands volunteered for duty at the Grand Forks Public Works building, transformed into Sandbag Central. When they were not filling sandbags, residents also took measures to protect their own homes. As it became clear there were not enough volunteers to staff Sandbag Central, personnel from Grand Forks Air Force Base provided additional assistance. Working hand in hand with the volunteer corps, they filled 3.5 million sandbags. The levees were ready, and it appeared the Red River would be contained, but no one could have prepared for what happened next.