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A group of ten Industrial Electricians in neon yellow shirts and one in a neon vest sit and stand on stacked sandbags in front of a porch, posing for a photo in daylight.

Knobelsdorff Lends Support to New Haven, Illinois Community Amid Rising Flood Threat

(Goodhue, Minn) April 11, 2025 – On Thursday, April 10, eleven Knobelsdorff team members stepped in to help protect a southern Illinois community as the Little Wabash River threatened to flood homes and neighborhoods.

The call for help came from a New Haven local that stopped by KE’s nearby solar site and mentioned sandbagging efforts planned for the next day. The ask was simple: “We’ll take any help we can get.” The response was just as how it always is at KE: we’ll be there.

The Knobelsdorff crew that responded included Mike Huneke, Noah Whalen, Jaden Ruiz, Joe Rohr, Alex Rezansoff, Phil Truax, Drew Lexvold, Mathew Martinez, Jesus Ignacio Flores Hernandez, Brad Adkisson, and Max Tyszelman, a mix of field crew and office staff from KE’s Energy division.

Together with students from Gallatin County High School, employees from Wabash Valley FS, and local residents, the group laid hundreds of sandbags around homes in a neighborhood that, while not yet underwater, was forecasted to be in danger. The community had already seen damage elsewhere earlier in the week, and these efforts were focused on prevention and doing everything possible to hold the water back before it was too late.

A group of people in yellow shirts, including industrial electricians, form a line outside a house, passing bags or materials along a plastic sheet on the ground. Trees and grass are visible in the background on a sunny day.

“When a small community in southern Illinois needed help battling rising floodwaters, our team rolled up our sleeves and got to work side by side with the residents,” said Alex Rezansoff, Energy Project Coordinator at Knobelsdorff. “We spent the day stacking sandbags around homes, doing what we could to support and protect their neighborhood. I'm grateful for the warm welcome and the chance to stand with them during a tough time.”

Knobelsdorff recently opened an office in Illinois, and as the company establishes deeper roots in the region, being present in moments like this reinforces what community means to KE.

“Our work might bring us to towns like New Haven, but it's the people there who remind us why we do what we do,” said Mike Huneke, VP of Energy. “When neighbors ask for help, we show up.”

As flood threats continue across the Midwest, KE encourages residents in high-risk areas to remain cautious and monitor conditions closely. For real-time updates in New Haven and surrounding areas, visit the National Weather Service site.