Flood in 2009? (Fargo, Grand Forks, Wahpeton: homes, homebuyer, live in)

[DOUBLE H]

On the subject of helping people, today's NBC's Nightly News segment "People who make a difference" there was a story on the hundreds of people who have come into the Fargo-Morehead area, to help in any way they can. Bravo to those people!

[flu189]

Good luck to the folks in the affected areas. Many of us far away are watching and hoping for the best. Quite a few of us are in the National Guard and just wish we could be sent to help with personnel and equipment as your own guard members have their own families and homes to tend to.

[Fischer_girl]

Wow. I started this thread not thinking that it would get to this. I can't tell you how many people here in New Mexico come up to me at work and comment about what they have seen on the news. I hope the residents of ND know that all of us out here are aware of what is going on..and we care. I have a weird sense of guilt that I got out just before this happened.
For those of you wondering about Red Cross and such... you can go into your local facilities and make a cash donation for a specific cause.
God bless everyone. I was shocked to learn that the Bismarck area has flooded..I don't know that that has ever happened before, but heard that the ice blockade on the Missouri river is a factor. The Garrison Dam was even turned off. Stay safe everyone!

[3-Oaks]

Originally Posted by Fischer_girl

For those of you wondering about Red Cross and such... you can go into your local facilities and make a cash donation for a specific cause.
God bless everyone. I was shocked to learn that the Bismarck area has flooded..I don't know that that has ever happened before, but heard that the ice blockade on the Missouri river is a factor. The Garrison Dam was even turned off. Stay safe everyone!

Yes, it was a first for Bismarck. They ended up w/not 1 but 2 ice jams that almost totally blocked the river. The one north of town let loose and all the water it was holding back had no place to go. The one south of town was described as a 4 mile long pileup of ice chunks the size of small cars. There were some specialists flown in and yesterday they placed and set off explosives 2 different places and plan to do many more today to try to blow a channel thru the ice. The river has already dropped.

Besides the overland flooding here in the eastern part of the state, ice jams are the other main reason for all the flooding this year. It just started melting too early and too fast. The rivers weren't thawed yet, so when all the water starts going in, the ice rises and floats in huge sheets ontop of all the new water instead of melting & breaking into mushy little chunks.

Fargo's crest prediction has been raised again, so they're really scrambling. Now it will be a couple feet higher than the all time record of 1997, plus the dikes should be at least a couple feet higher than the crest to protect from waves, etc, if it get's windy (ha, ha, it's always windy here!) Atl east the rain & snow we've had for the past several days has quit.

Better go, they start raising the dikes in our yard here in Valley city today sometime. Better see what I need to get moved. We are also an access point, so all those darn big trucks & other heavy equipment will be going thru the yard.

[kerplunk]

I'm sure Fargo will be fine for the most part, but I have a sinking feeling in my stomach that it may not be. Here's hoping for the best!

[3-Oaks]

Originally Posted by kerplunk

I'm sure Fargo will be fine for the most part, but I have a sinking feeling in my stomach that it may not be. Here's hoping for the best!

Well, it's not looking good. The flood forcast was raised again late this afternoon. 41-42 feet with a possibility of 43. Old all time record was at I think just under 40 feet and it was tied with that late today. They started a backup d*ke around the water plant and a couple other essential areas today.

2 parts of Moorhead were lost....the south end yesterday, and this afternoon one of the dikes in a north end neighborhood broke. Both sections are to be evacuated by tomorrow AM. Several of the smaller subdivisions & towns on both sides of the river have also been evacuated as well as many, many farms.

Concordia college announced it would be shutting off power & water tomorrow, so all students were to leave overnight, preferably, or early tomorrow.

The nursing homes in Fargo & Moorhead were evacuated today and about 10:30 tonight the hospital (largest hospital in North Dakota) announced it had begun evacuating all it's patients about 1 hour earlier. They expect it to take 8-10 hours. They will stay open and do any necessary surgeries but move all new patients out to other hospitals as soon as they are stabilized.

I guess the reason the hospital & college are evacuating overnight is that there is less traffic. So many streets are closed off by water, dikes, or are dedicated to trucks hauling clay to build dikes that the whole town is a huge traffic jam during the day.

Everyone else in the city has been asked to find somewhere to move young children, physically handicapped, elderly, pregnant, etc family members out of town ASAP.



Here in Valley City, things are OK. The first crest was I think yesterday or the day before (like many, I'm having a hard time keeping my days straight!). The next crest is a week or more out.

They didn't plan to do any sandbagging today, but some businesses got together to pay for fuel, so they decided to take 2 bus loads to help in Fargo. Enough folks showed up that they had to get a 3rd bus. We sent along enough sandwiches, bars, cookies, pop, etc to feed everyone we sent, so Fargo didn't have to worry about that. Plus we got in enough volunteer food that the Salvation Army made a hot supper for all the truck drivers that have been working here in town the past week & living on chips & sandwiches.

In our side of the street, they said the dikebuilding won't start until Monday. The houses across the street (we live on a peninsula) should be getting theirs tomorrow & Saturday. This afternoon they came around & pruned any trees that would be in the way of the equipment once construction starts.

[beenhereandthere]

Originally Posted by 3-Oaks

What's causing all the problems this year as it did in 1997 is that it warmed up way faster than usual, so all the fields & stuff are melting at once causing overland flooding, so all that water is coming from the opposite direction from the river.

A few dikes along the river are no big deal, but when you suddenly have to put up protection all the way around the whole town, it really complicates things, plus with all the extra runoff, the rivers are rising faster than usual. AND, the real main problem is that the Red River flows NORTH, so the south end is thawing while the north end is still froze solid so it's not really 'flowing' all that much some years so the melt water all runs into the river, and when the banks get full, runs out again. Plus, both Fargo & Grand Forks sit where another major river flows into the Red River. 1997 was supposedly a 1 in 500 year flood, so Fargo and Grand Forks sure weren't expecting it again this soon.

Then yesterday the whole area had 1-3 inches of rain and now 2/3 of the state is shut down from a major blizzard. Thank goodness we didn't get the 40+" of snow that parts of South Dakota got!

Check out our Road Report map. It's constantly updated, but no one can ever remember 3/4 of the state being impassable for one reason or another.

Department of Transportation - Road, Map, and Travel Information

Even though you'd have to get the Canadian government involved in this, why, with this in mind, do they not blow up the ice that jams the river that causes this, like around where the river ends (Lake Winnipeg)? Hope that's not a dumb ?.

[debey]

North Dakotans, our prayers are with you.........I've been following the flood, on news broadcasts.....

[Slig]

I wish the best for all residents and students in Fargo but for all homeowners and potential homeowners out there here's some free advice, DON'T BUY A HOME THAT SITS ON A FLOOD PLAIN! You'll get no sympathy from me if your house gets washed away because it was your fault for taking a stupid risk by buying a house there!

http://media.cityoffargo.com/maps/En...d/Floodmap.pdf

[Fischer_girl]

Originally Posted by Slig

I wish the best for all residents and students in Fargo but for all homeowners and potential homeowners out there here's some free advice, DON'T BUY A HOME THAT SITS ON A FLOOD PLAIN! You'll get no sympathy from me if your house gets washed away because it was your fault for taking a stupid risk by buying a house there!

http://media.cityoffargo.com/maps/En...d/Floodmap.pdf

That is an absolutely rediculous comment and I suggest you not comment under my thread again! Have you BEEN to the area? Have to learned the areas thick history and have you met the absolutely amazing residents of this area?! You have GOT to be kidding me! This thread is for learning about the flood and supporting these peoples decision to fight for their homes and the area they love and have created much history in. Please keep for "free advise" to yourself.