LEHIGH — Kendra Ollinger was in Des Moines on Sunday watching her son’s baseball game when she received a text that the river near her home in rural Lehigh was rising and volunteers were coming to fill and place sandbags.

More than 20 strangers, along with a few friends, including Webster County Supervisor Mark Campbell, arrived with truckloads of sandbags and stacked them around Ollinger’s home.

“It’s such a stressful time,” said Ollinger. “Emotions are high, and it’s overwhelming on where to begin. Everyone stepped up and took the lead. I’m so thankful.”

Ollinger decided to join in the sandbagging efforts on Monday and was telling others about the strangers who came to her aid, only to find that three of them were also there working alongside her.

“As soon as I found out this morning that Amigos was going to need sandbags and be a filling station for others in the community, I knew I needed to pay it forward and help others in need,” said Ollinger. “This can be so overwhelming, but the power of our community is incredible to see.”

After filling sandbags Monday, Ollinger found another group, some who had helped on Sunday, had arrived at her home again to continue stacking bags around her home.

“I am truly thankful for the amazing community, in both Lehigh and Fort Dodge,” said Ollinger.

According to Ollinger, her family saw river levels in Lehigh rise 1.5 feet overnight, and while the family who built their home in the 1980s reassured them that it had never flooded, seeing photos of flooding around the state made her extra cautious and even more thankful for the work of strangers.