Red River Flooding

[Fish Toys]

If you head up that way tune into KFGO 790 AM and they have all the latest news. Their HSOforum www.kfgo.com. Hot line for volunteers (701) 476-4000. They want all the volunteer sandbaggers to go to the Fargo Dome and they will shuttle you to the areas where needed. One of the schools opened up their gym and the Red Cross set up cots for volunteers to rest. One caller yesterday has a restaurant with a buffet and offered free food to the volunteers. Heard the Red Cross and Salvation Army were supplying sandwiches.

[Rick]

Help is desperately needed here folks.

Please call (701) 476-4000 to get the info needed to help out effectively.

[Fish Toys]

You can go to www.kfgo.com and in the upper right hand corner of the page you can click the red listen live button and hear it all!

[fireman]

Been pulling 12 hours shifts at sandbag central, and to say that the response from volunteers has been nothing short of exceptional, would be an understatement. Have met people from all over Nd and Mn who have come to help with the fight. The midwest work ethic is incredible. Last night as we were out of sand for a time, we noticed a group of volunteers working in the rain, on a small pile of sand the loaders could not pick up. To all that have volunteered their time, we thank you. We could not have done this without you.

[LMITOUT]

This isn't Red River related, but they closed the gates at the Garrison Dam today for the first time since the dam was completed in the 1950's and the Missouri is at a record high. The river bottoms of Bismarck and Mandan are flooding.

[goblueM]

man thats awesome to hear, fireman. I'm still hoping to get called up there for emergency response work (minnesota conservation corps) but I have a feeling that we aren't going to be called up if we've waited this long

[Skitterpop]

I work at the school which has opened its gym to those who need a place to stay. It is Carl Ben Eielson Middle School. Today I was part of an effort which took 203 of my 8th graders from Carl Ben to the Fargodome to fill sand bags. We left at 1:30 to go back to school when all of the sand piles were gone and we were waiting on sand. There were another 200 8th graders from Ben Franklin Middle School and many others from Fargo South and North High Schools. I am immensely impressed with the service our young people today. Tomorrow we will be back at the dome hopefully with even more of our 8th graders filling bags with smiles on our faces.

[Paul]

I have started a photo thread on the Photosharing page. I am adding new photos almost daily. please check it out if you wish. Here is a link to the thread on the photography forum:

Red River Valley Flood Photo's C/O photography sharing board.

[marine_man]

Hi Everyone...

I caught a break today and got into work to get somethings done after being out since Sunday night trying to keep the river in it's banks down here in Lisbon. It's been a long last couple days, but it appears that it has crested down here for today at least... when they start running water from the Baldhill Dam in Valley City we may have issues again, but for now things are looking up a bit.

The snow hasn't helped things any, but at least it's not rain I guess.

For Fargo they're now saying 41' on Saturday will be the crest. Things have been pretty wild - people being rescued by air boats on far east side of the state, a helicopter rescue was just completed north of Wahpeton... it has not been good.

And, wild things are happening in Bismarck as well; flooding on the missouri from ice jams backing up the river; they're contemplating using dynamite to get things flowing again.

marine_man

[cbrooks]

Just about any town on a river or lake in North Dakota seems to be flooding now. Last night I was sandbagging at the Burke addition (a township thats a mile south of Grand Forks). Things aren't looking to good for them. Now they just up our cities river crest to 50 to 53 feet before it was 48.5 to 52 feet. We had to close all of the cities bridges except for one.Hopefully thats the last time they have to update the crest prediction.

[fishlakeman]

It's pretty rough here. Here's a few pics from a couple of the areas I've been too. There from my phone, but I was more concerned about getting work done than taking pretty pictures.

A massive earthen dike in a N. Fargo neighborhood on Sunday morning. We were baggin the houses on the wrong side of the dike.

My Boss's house against the Red on Monday afternoon. The river has risen over 7 ft since this picture. You can see the stick with the 41 ft mark on it, which is where the river's predicted to crest. We need to beef up this with 1000's more sandbags and add at least another foot to this one. You can also see the white stick nailed to the tree in the background, the top of that is 40 ft.

These are pics from yesterday of my buddies house in Oxbow (5 mi s. of fargo). He's in rough shape. All the dry land you see including the road is now under water. Water is up to the house dykes. This is the area where over 11 families have been rescued out of boats. There toughing it out trying to save it. We had to leave late last night because the last road outta there was being washed out.

Here's some pics on my way to Oxbow from the road. These are fields, not lakes or ponds. All landflooding and spillover from the river.

[GatorGetter]

Water coming out of the Tewauken Dam into the Wild Rice River south of Cayuga, is still exceeding 1997 levels.

[cbrooks]

I was sandbagging a group of five houses that are now islands. They got the Red in there back yard a coolie on the other side.

We stop sandbagging at 9:30 last night other wise we would have been stranded. With all these rivers south of us breaking there 1997 records, I think the crest predictions will be higher in the days to come. Grand Forks will be fine but the surrounding communities need anybody they can get. Most of the sandbaggers have been by far the college stundents. The Burke additions(a sub division of Grand Forks) has about maybe thirty houses in immediate danger. At the current crest prediction of 52 feet is really close to tell. If they got flooded it wouldn't have been from the lack of effort. This whole addition was completly wipe out in the 97 flood which had a crest of 54.35 crest, so you can see how close 52 feet will be. I guess all a guy can do is build those dikes one sandbag at a time.

[BrianLucky13]

Great job cbrooks!!! Keep up the good work!!

[KEN W]

Crest prediction at 41 feet.Today they are raising the dikes from 42 to 43 feet.Also putting in backup dikes in case the front line breaks.Trying to fill another 300,000 sandbags today.

Telling people in the south part of Fargo to be ready to move out at a moments notice.....like,"you have 10-15 minutes to get out.So load up your vehicles with necessry items."

People south of 32nd Ave are being told to move everything out of basements.

Cass County sheriff is telling rubberneckers there will be no more warnings.Anyone in the areas being worked on who is not working will be arrested.No more pictures unless you work for the press.They are tired on people who should not be there getting in the way.

[Scum Frog]

Some friends and I were talking about all the flooding going on over their and had a big debate what was causig all the problems. One guy said you never herd of much problems years ago and said he though it was due to all the farmers draining their low land and putting in some sort of drain tile to keep it from comming back. Was wondering what anybody elese had any thoughts on what is causing all the problems these day. Seem to me the last time we had a winter like this one aka 97 it was the same thing.

I hope everthing comes out ok over their.

[Ed Carlson]

Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma get smashed by tornadoes every year and as often as many times a year, so I guess...people who build towns there should realize what happens too and live in a hole maybe?

Whapeton Breckenridge, Fargo Moorhead, Grand Forks and East Grand Forks, Drayton, and other at risk community's were built were they are fallowing a simple premise that man has deemed necessary from the beginning of time, to live near needed water.

Water needed to live and for commerce. You have to remember the Red is the reason the Red River Valley was settled as it was the highway of commerce flowing to the North. It's primary use now is a water supply for the largest population in the region that utilized a huge amount of water for home use and industry. The valleys sugar beat industry could not exist without the Red River.

Even though floods get all the press, historically droughts are far more common in the region and the Red River is key to settlement and sustainability of industry in the region.

We all need to look at it as how best can we manage our impact on the Red and other rivers as to safely coexist. Rivers react, they have no conscious, or grand plan, they just are.

We impact all we touch, so we need to be responsible stewards of our water resources to find a plan that works for everyone up and down the basin.

[cbrooks]

Great post Ed. I do get the sense the government from the local,state and federal are gonna come up with a solution to the flooding problems.

[Ed Carlson]

We are seeing a "Slow fall" in river levels on the Central Red. Not necessarily a "Crest" event but heck...we will take it. Continued cool would be good for us.

We are praying the storm that may sneak up on us on Monday/Tuesday will stay to the South of us.

There is still strong belief we will see a second rise that may yet hit the predicted crest levels so reediness is being maintained at a high level on all sides of the flood fight.

The lull is a very welcome rest period for the weary flood fighters in need of rest and recuperation.

For now the river gauge is headed in the right direction. This will be a prolonged fight, do not let the slow fall fool you.

Spirits continue to be high. You can't beat the indomitable spirit of the Red River Valley residents.

[Steve Foss]

Scum Frog, it's true that farming practices have led to faster spring inflows into the Red River. Farmers want to get the water off their fields early so they have a long enough growing season in that northern climate.

That led to a lot of draining and ditching, and water that used to be held on the land (or released more slowly) because of the prairie grass makes its way much faster into the creeks and other rivers that feed the Red. It took decades and decades for that to happen.

And Ed's dead on the money about development of cities along the Red, and the need for its water for residential and industrial uses. Also, the cities in question were initially settled before all the draining in the Valley intensified the flooding issue.

The problems with drainage, flooding and development right along the shores of the river built up incrementally over a long time until we're at the point we are now.

It's very unlikely the effects of agricultural drainage will be reversed. It would take a wholesale change in human nature for that to happen. The government did put its foot down to some degree and eliminate homes around GF/EGF that were in the so-called 100-year flood plain, but people will continue to live along the rivers.

Anyway, I was on staff for the G.F. Herald covering the flood in 1997, and we did a lot of in-depth reporting on the causes/effects of man's impact on the Valley and its drainage.

So that's my perspective.

However, in the here and now, none of that matters. What matters today is that thousands of people may lose big if the water tops the dikes, and what also matters is the great way people pull together under that type of threat. Kudos to and best wishes for all those who have worked their butts off to protect property from this flood, and prayers continue to go out for those threatened.

Godspeed and God bless!

[island guy]

A major breech about a hour ago. The permanent steel dike placed after 97 to protect Oak Grove School buckled. Oak Grove School is taking on water but backup dikes are holding to protect neighborhoods behind so far. Not a lot of info so far.

[huntnfish]

Sounds like they got the leak plugged somewhat in Oak Grove and are sending water back out to the right side of the dike. They dropped 11 of the one ton bags with Blackhawk helicopters and it looks like they are doing like they are supposed to do. Keep the fingers crossed and the prayers coming. We have now dropped below 40 feet at Fargo.

[Wiskers]

I was up there with the Jet boat Fri-Sat, on stand by. Thank god the dikes are still holding and it stays cold for a while. Sure does not need the snow though.. Our thoughts go out to them and hope the dikes can hold with water levels at that hight for that long.

[Dan189]

Anyone on here from the northern valley around Oslo. I know I29 was closed last week up there, and today the water was really close to the shoulder, and north of Oslo was reduced to one lane. Other than north of Argusville, Oslo was one of the worst areas I've seen.