Flood risk forces 11,000 to evacuate N Dakota town

[Cyngbaeld]

MINOT, N.D. — The Souris River is set to overtop levees in Minot, displacing about a quarter of the North Dakota city's population for a second time this spring and promising to swamp thousands of structures under the worst flooding in four decades.
Dike work began late Monday, June 20 to protect the North Dakota State Fair Center in Minot, N.D. The rising level of the Souris River is expected to inundate the State Fairgrounds, which are located in east Minot. (AP Photo/Minot Daily News, Kim Fundingsland)

"We could have a really catastrophic type of event here," Mayor Curt Zimbelman said during a late Monday news conference, calling it "a sad day for Minot." The Minot Daily News reported that his comments were met by stunned silence.

The river that loops down from Canada through north central North Dakota is bloated by heavy spring snowmelt and rain on both sides of the border. The flooding in Minot, where about 41,000 people live, is now expected to dwarf the historic flood of 1969, when the river reached 1,554.5 feet above sea level. The river is expected to hit nearly 1,563 feet this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

The 1969 flood prompted the Army Corps of Engineers to build a dike system that has been beefed up several times this spring. Zimbelman told KFGO radio on Tuesday that there is not enough time to raise the dikes any more to handle the fresh onslaught of water from recent heavy rains, and that at least 4,000 homes and businesses could be flooded. He said it was not easy to tell the community that flood-protection efforts have failed and thousands of homes could end up under water.

"It's probably one of the more difficult things I've had to do," he said. "We're not used to losing ... I think people understood there was not much we could do about it."

Zimbelman said officials are focusing efforts on building dikes to protect critical infrastructure such as the sewer system, water plants, schools and City Hall. Officials at Minot International Airport, which sits on a hill on the north part of town, issued a statement Tuesday saying the airport will remain fully operational.

Similar efforts are being made to protect infrastructure in the nearby town of Burlington, where about 1,200 people live.

About 10,000 Minot residents were evacuated earlier this month before the river hit 1,554.1 feet and then later let back into their homes, though they were cautioned to be ready to leave again quickly. They have been ordered out again by Wednesday night. North Dakota National Guard commander Dave Sprynczynatyk said the evacuation order affects about 11,000 people in 4,200 homes. KXMC-TV reported that an evacuation center was open at the Minot Auditorium.

Ann Hoggarth, who lives right next to the river, told The Associated Press that she feels numb and very emotional. She is struggling to move some of her belongings to higher ground.

"I've got three stories so I'm hoping the furniture will be OK upstairs, but I'm a single mom and I had to ship my kids off to their dad, so I don't have anyone to help me," she said.

Zimbelman said officials are considering enlarging the evacuation zone.

"We are going to become a pool or a lake," Zimbelman said in comments reported by KXMC. "It is hard to accept and believe."

All residents along the river in Ward County also are being urged to leave, including those in Burlington.

The high water is expected to begin hitting Minot by about Thursday, with the river jumping more than seven feet by Saturday. The historical record of 1,558 feet set in 1881 is forecast to be topped on Friday or Saturday. River flows are expected to hit 17,000 cubic feet per second, when the dikes are built to handle only about 11,000 cfs.

"This will be much, much higher than we've ever seen before in history," Gov. Jack Dalrymple said during a visit to Minot on Monday.

http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world...11-983128.html

[prairiecomforts]

We are about 3 hours south of Minot - but have several family and friends who live there who will be effected by this. Everyone that we know directly is in the evac area and are either now staying with family or friends who aren't in that area or staying in their campers in another area. Please pray for some friends who will lose their house due to this. They have a 3 year old and the wife is 7 days away from her due date with baby number 2.

[naturelover]

That's terrible. That's all the overflow coming down from the same river, same floods in Saskatchewan now. 5 million acres of agricultural land alone is under water there now.

Man oh man, it's going to be a rough year for crops everywhere this year, let alone rough for all the people on both sides of the border being displaced and their properties and livelihoods destroyed either by floods or fires.

[tinknal]

The ducks must be laughing.

If you don't understand this statement google "prairie pothole region".

[Explorer]

I talked to my Uncle who lives in Minot last night. One cousin is forced to evac from valley location, but Uncle is fine as he lives in the newer area on the surrounding hills. He said my other cousin who farms about 3000 acres 45 miles SW of Minot has not planted a seed this year. Cousin normally grows wheat and the land is to wet from the rains to get any equipment in there. He didn't know of any farmers in that area that had been able to plant this year. Now is to late to plant for this year and all the farmers have given up on this season. Uncle said he expected many marginally financed farmers would lose their land.

[AngieM2]

I hope everyone pays attention and does not try to be the hero and stay in danger.

This is not good for them, and appears not good for us (US and Canada flooded).

This just has not been a decent year so far with weather and such.

[prairiecomforts]

Originally Posted by Explorer

I talked to my Uncle who lives in Minot last night. One cousin is forced to evac from valley location, but Uncle is fine as he lives in the newer area on the surrounding hills. He said my other cousin who farms about 3000 acres 45 miles SW of Minot has not planted a seed this year. Cousin normally grows wheat and the land is to wet from the rains to get any equipment in there. He didn't know of any farmers in that area that had been able to plant this year. Now is to late to plant for this year and all the farmers have given up on this season. Uncle said he expected many marginally financed farmers would lose their land.

Crops are the same across the state. Some who have been able to actually get there crops in - are now seeing them sit in the ground and rot because of all the rain, lack of sun, etc. You have heard the saying "knee high by the fourth of July" (talking about corn) well it is going to be no where close this year if we are even lucky enough to see it actually come up.

[Tracy Rimmer]

The flooding is still unbelievable. It just keeps coming. We're surrounded by fields which are all under water, and even the fields that "look" dry aren't -- you get your equipment out in them and it sinks. The top layer of soil is dry, but the water table is so high that a foot or so below the surface, you've got squidge. I dug a hole to plant some tomatoes, and there was water at 8" -- my basement isn't flooding so much as it's SEEPING. It's coming in through the concrete walls.

With the further rain (it's been near-constant) and the water continuing to come from upstream, what land in my area (SW Manitoba) did get seeded is now impossible to access to spray. Without spraying, what does grow will be so infested with bugs... well, you get the picture. The equipment simply can't get out on the fields without getting bogged down.

Cattlemen in our area are already trying to buy hay and straw, there is little to be had, and there is already a shortage of feed. Breeding stock will be culled this year, I'm sure, because there will be no feed to be had to overwinter them.

Stock up, folks -- I'm not kidding. It's going to get BAD.