From Bad to Worse: Fargo Crest Up Two Feet

The current record Fargo crest of 40.1 feet (1897) will be shattered this spring, and within the hour it will probably be broken with a good 2+ feet to go by the end of the weekend.

If you're in Grand Forks, there's still plenty that needs to be done around here. If you're a UND student, check with student government to see where you're needed and they will shuttle you to those locations. If you are not a student, then you should call this number: (701)787-8052 or report to the Alerus Center. I should point out that I showed up at the Alerus Center today and it was very disorganized and there wasn't even anyone there coordinating anything, it was basically a pick-up spot for buses to come every half hour. The buses were running pretty late and it was unfortunate that no one was there to give any guidance, so keep that in mind if you decide to go to the Alerus Center.

They still need our help in the Lake Drive area, that's where I was today and I'm happy to say the turnout was tremendous. There was a large amount of people helping out at homes up and down Lake Drive, but it appeared there's more work to be done.

I do have a few cell phone pictures I snapped over the past few days, I really wish I could get better pictures but it's becoming extremely difficult with the city in full flood-protection mode, and I do not want to get in the way of city employees.

The first picture is of a large red helicopter I saw in Fargo, I'm assuming this is some kind of rescue chopper but I could be mistaken.


These next two pictures were taken on the way to Fargo on Tuesday.




These next couple of pictures are views of the railroad bridge from the top of a parking ramp downtown.


These next two pictures are of us sandbagging in Grand Forks.



A few random flood notes:

Meritcare hosptial in Fargo has evacuated its patients to various hospitals in the region, a first for the hospital.

Mandatory evacuations are underway in Moorhead for areas south of I-94 and west of Eighth Street.

Travel is becoming extremely difficult with multiple roads closed/ closing. A list of road closures in Fargo can be found here.

The North Dakota Department of Emergency Services has a great website for flood preparedness set up here that I recommend you all check out.

There are a couple of webcams set up following the Red River at Fargo and Grand Forks.


I'm sure there are ton of other announcements I'm missing, so keep checking out the Herald and Forum websites for up-to-date typo-laden information. I realize they're working much faster over there, but seriously, one word: PROOFREAD.

Example from the Herald's website yesterday afternoon:

"The Louis Murray closes will the river level at at or near 48 feet, and as of 8:30 a.m., the Red River was at 45.6 feet. That's an increase of 2.8 feet from the Wednesday."

Baffling.



Current River Levels

Fargo: 39.92 feet
Grand Forks: 47.21 feet

UND Cancels Classes Through Monday

From UND's Flood Blog:

Recognizing the needs of other communities, the University of North Dakota will cancel classes from noon today (Thursday, March 26), through Monday, March 30, to allow students to help with sandbagging and other flood protection needs. The University will remain open and will otherwise function normally.

“We are not closing out of fear for the University or the Cities of Grand Forks and East Grand Forks. But we understand that there are needs up and down the Red River Valley, and we recognize — and support — our students’ desire to continue to be involved in floodfighting activities,” said UND President Robert Kelley.

I'm very glad they decided to do this, now hopefully a large amount of students choose to volunteer and help sandbag up and down the region, now's the time to get out there more than ever before the crests come. It appears to be extremely difficult to get to Fargo now, and I wouldn't be surprised if they closed a section of I-29 this afternoon, so be extremely careful if you're traveling. If you're still in Grand Forks, your help is definitely needed.

Here's a couple of updates from the city:

Grand Forks, ND – This is a 2009 flood update from the Grand Forks County Emergency Operations Center.

There is an immediate need for up to 50 volunteers to assist with loading sandbags for County residents. Volunteers must call the Emergency Operations Center flood hotline number at (701) 787-8052 in order to volunteer.

This hotline is for people looking to volunteer, people looking for help from volunteers and people looking to receive sandbags.

This hotline has been established to aid County residents in their flood fight.

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Grand Forks, ND – This is a 2009 flood update from the Grand Forks County Emergency Operations Center.

The Emergency Operations Center has implemented the flood hotline at (701) 787-8052.
This hotline is for people looking to volunteer, people looking for help from volunteers, and people looking to receive sandbags.

Sandbag central will work 24 hours a day while the demand is still in need for county residents. County residents are able to ask for filled sandbags. Filled sandbags will ONLY be delivered to those residents with property in EMINENT danger. Those needing sandbags have to call the hotline number to order sandbags.

Residents who are looking to volunteer are asked to call the hotline as volunteers will be needed to help county residents once they receive sandbags.

The current river level is 45.57 feet at 6:30 am on Thursday, March 26, 2009.

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Again I will be sandbagging most of the day, and I really hope that you consider doing it as well, the help is definitely needed.

One more thing, check out this website for pictures of the flooding in the Mayville area: http://www.stevegunderson.org/

scroll to the bottom of the page to see the flood pictures.

Snowy Complications

Unfortunately the winter storm (but I thought it was spring?) has caused all volunteer buses from Grand Forks to Fargo to be canceled. This includes UND's buses. I was thinking about braving it anyways this morning, but that would've been a very bad idea, and literally impossible. My car was buried by giant snowdrifts and our parking lot was also untouched by plows at the time. The no-travel advisory should also be taken very seriously, the water almost touches the interstate the closer you get to Fargo, and if you lose control and end up in the ditch it could very well be a fatal situation. So PLEASE exercise caution if you plan on braving it anyways, and if you do it, do it in a pickup or other capable vehicle. The Ford Taurus and Honda Civic drivers should probably reconsider.

There is good news for people who want to help out around Grand Forks, I received a mass e-mail from the UND Student Government Office this morning saying there are locations right here in Grand Forks that need our help with sandbagging. Here's the original e-mail:


Attention Students:

Thank you to everyone who signed up to volunteer down in Fargo. As of right now, all Wednesday shuttles going to Fargo have been canceled, but there are opportunities here in Grand Forks for those willing to give a helping hand.

For anyone interested in sandbagging here in Grand Forks, we have several addresses you can help at:

6801 Lake Drive, 6205 Lake Drive, 6721 Lake Drive, 6701 Lake drive, 6615 Lake Drive. ( get directions here: [link removed by me because the link in the email was a map of Tucson, AZ...which is pretty much the exact opposite of Grand Forks right now.)

There is also indoor sandbagging being conducted starting at 10:00 am at a farm shop right across the road from the beginning of Lake Drive. (Instead of turning onto Lake Drive turn in the opposite direction and the shop is straight ahead.)

Anyone interested should contact the Student Government Office to let us know which address you plan on going to. This will help us coordinate efforts to be most effective. People should try to carpool in four-wheel drive vehicles.

We encourage volunteers to help with these efforts, but we must remember to keep safety first. Due to poor road conditions students should exercise extreme caution when traveling around Grand Forks, and everyone should dress warmly. Due to high snowfall we also recommend gloves and boots when at all possible.

If anyone has any questions please contact the Student Government Office at (701) 777-4377.

Keep checking your e-mail for more updates.

Sincerely,

Tyrone & Mike

I made my own map of where the sandbagging is needed, as far as I can tell it's all along Lake Street in extreme southeast Grand Forks (I think I rode my bike here in an earlier blog post).


View Larger Map

Exercise extreme caution, it's still a dangerous trip even though it's local. Dress appropriately for winter!

Also, I caught a picture of Mayville on the news last night and saw the Pizza Shop is almost completely submerged...for those familiar with Mayville, that's a lot of water. If anyone has any pictures of Mayville's flood, please send them to me! I don't think people realize how bad it is there.

Still Fighting: Part Two

After sandbagging again in Fargo today, it's very clear that they still need a lot of help. There's still a lot of work to be done as the river creeps closer and closer to homes. A sense of urgency can be felt in the entire city, I even saw a National Guard truck loaded with sand escorted by Fargo police to get to the needed areas quicker.

Also, I just noticed a crawl on my TV screen saying Grafton needs immediate help shoring up their dikes, so if you're reading this and you're in the Grafton area, please consider helping out. Instructions were to meet at the Grafton City Hall. Dress warm, and bring gloves.

I drove over the Red today and noticed an extreme increase in traffic. There are a lot of curious folks out there who want to see exactly what's going on. The city urged people to stay away and not go look at the River...but I mean really, that's like setting a steak in front of a dog and telling him not to eat it. We definitely have a right to see the river that taxpayers have paid plenty of money protecting against. Now I don't necessarily condone driving back and forth over the bridges to gawk at the river while it is much easier to just park downtown and walk to see it for yourself. That's what I did tonight where I snapped the following pictures:





Definitely a lot different than it was this summer:



Alright, I need some sleep...then it's back to Fargo again tomorrow morning.

As of this post,

Red River @ Fargo: 32.59 feet
Red River @ Grand Forks: 38.88 feet

Also, it appears they will be closing the Sorlie (DeMers) bridge tomorrow morning at 10 am.


Grafton Update:

From the Herald...

Volunteers answer call to Grafton; official says there's enough help for now

Grafton, N.D., is discouraging out-of-town volunteers from driving to the city Tuesday night to help with sandbagging due to icy roads and a no travel advisory for Walsh County, according to a city official.

City Auditor Connie Johnson said they will probably need more volunteers Wednesday morning and during the day, but she strongly encouraged those interested to call the volunteer hotline at (701) 360-3281 before driving to town.

Current information on the city’s flood fight can also be found at www.graftongov.com.

Still Fighting

Just a quick post today, I'm heading back to Fargo again soon to help out. They still need our help, just show up to the Fargodome and they'll put you on a shuttle to whereever you're needed.

I know Moorhead residents may feel like the spotlight's all on Fargo, but anyone willing to help out in Moorhead, here's the info:

Volunteering to Help
Volunteers for sandbagging can show up all week between 8:00 AM & 8:00 PM at Nemzek Hall on the MSUM campus. Nemzek Hall is located on 17th street between 6th and 7th avenue south. Please car pool if possible. You must bring an ID. All volunteers must fill out a registration form. Minors must bring the form signed by their parent/guardian.


Quick Grand Forks update: Red River is at 36.32 ft as I type this post, which is a little bit higher than they predicted at this moment. Point Bridge is closed as well as the Greenway. To my knowledge there is no need for a large amount of volunteers, I will of course update this if I find out anything more.

Please feel free to leave a comment about your own flood story, story of volunteering, or any helpful flood-related information.

I will get a new picture of the Red in Grand Forks when I return from Fargo tonight.