Grand Forks, North Dakota, echoes with the sounds of pounding hammers, buzzing saws and clattering drills. They're the sounds of a community rebuilding.
One year ago this week, Grand Forks was besieged by devastating floods and fires. Heavy rains had made the Red River overflow, destroying much of the city.
Grand Forks suffered $1.3 billion worth of damage. Now the area is on the mend. A $16 million office park and a $300 million system of dikes are in the works.
Last week the Grand Forks Herald won the Pulitzer Prize, journalism's highest award. The staff managed to put out the newspaper even after floodwaters and fire wrecked the Herald's main building. The staff set up a temporary newsroom in a public school and kept Grand Forks residents informed. Mike Jacobs, the Herald's editor, says the award is "an important tribute to what this staff was able to do under tremendous pressure."