The latter part of March tested the communities of the Fargo/ Moorhead area as they sat on the brink of an impending record flood from the Red River. As the danger loomed at the foot of their doorsteps, the community took a stand and did what they do best…they fought.
Around March 15th, news came that the worst flooding was expected to arrive April 8-22. The city was geared up to be ahead of the flood with many preparations starting for the city and individual property owners. By March 19th, the tone of preparations changed from “ahead of the game” to “all hands on deck”. Levees in downtown Fargo immediately started rising and it was estimated 1.3-1.5 million sandbags were needed. The local FargoDome parking lot became the staging area for volunteers along with other locations in Moorhead, MN. The crest prediction of the Red River was 37-40 feet; flood stage is 18 feet with major flooding at 30 feet.
On Monday the 23rd, Tharaldson Companies corporate office made the decision to put the employees out in the city where they were needed for the entire week. Employees worked on personal homes, served food to the flood fighters, helped friends build up flood protection around their homes, moved furniture out of basements and so much more. The FM Area (Fargo/Moorhead) had neighborhood meetings to plan levee construction. Dirt and clay was brought in from many areas around the town (including digging up soccer fields) to build up the levees. Monday brought street closures to help with flood operation and emergency vehicles traveling around the city with ease.
By Tuesday the fight was in full gear, however city leaders kept the town in a very calm but ready state. The need for sandbags went up by over a half million to almost two million. Businesses throughout the community closed, schools from elementary up to university levels called off classes to allow people to help the protection efforts. Parts of the FM area and outlying areas were evacuated as precautionary steps to ensure safety. On Tuesday the river topped 29 feet with a forecast to reach 40 feet by Friday.
Support poured in from all over the United States. National Guard troops (as many as 800 on Tuesday) and Coastguard personnel blanketed the town to make the levees, help with evacuations and patrol dikes. Volunteers from west central Minnesota to Wisconsin to the western part of North Dakota showed up by bus and car. Food was plentiful in the sandbag central locations, thanks to the help of the community. All of this help was needed as the crest forecast rose to 39-41 feet. With the crest rising to possibly 41 feet, all the dikes and levees that were built needed to be topped off with another foot of protection.
The Red River had taken over smaller communities south of Fargo. The Coastguard was assisting in evacuations along with state officials using airboats to patrol the river for possible water rescues. Makeshift shelters were utilized in local schools and community buildings. During the sandbagging and flood fight efforts, volunteers faced many different climate challenges. There was sunshine, rain and even snow.
The National Weather Service said on Wednesday the crest prediction was at a record-setting 41 feet on Saturday with the crest lasting two to three days. This new crest prediction lead to more cancellations from mail delivery, garbage pick up and even more business closures for the week. The city kicked into high gear of sandbag making and building the dikes up higher to protect against the new crest prediction. More evacuations were implemented as cities looked at relocating senior living communities out of harms way. Hardware stores were staying open 24 hours to provide pumps, generators and sewer drain plugs.
A second crest loomed ahead as the Red River was currently at 38.83 feet on Thursday morning. The American Red Cross began setting up locations for flood relief efforts. They were looking at having 1,850 North Dakota National Guard members help out with traffic control and monitoring the emergency sandbag dams.
Saturday morning, the Red River was at 40.79 feet according to the National Weather Service. Throughout the weekend, non essential businesses were told to continue to remain closed. News from the National Weather Service came out that the river could possibly reach 43 feet.
Somehow over the weekend, the water started to reach 40.82 then lowered. City officials were hesitant to call it a crest, but called it more of a “peak” with a snow storm on the way late Monday and into Tuesday. Approximately 10 inches of snow dumped on the FM area over the next couple of days which put even more stress on city workers who moved their efforts from flood fighting back to snow removal. The falling temperatures were good news in our area as it kept the water snow from melting and entering the Red River. By late afternoon Tuesday the Red River was at 37.86 feet. The Weather Service reported that the river could begin dropping about one foot per day over the next three or four days and then move slowly through the middle of next week.
At that time, the Red River was still above flood stage and expected to drop down to around 32 feet. Then along comes the seasonal temperatures that could possible raise the river creating a second crest of 37 feet. With the river dropping, some of the state/government help headed to other areas that were experiencing flooding as well.
An amazing 3.5 million sandbags were filled to hold the Red River back. The Corps of Engineers also provided 9.5 million sandbags to communities throughout Minnesota/North Dakota.
From day one around the city, when a call was put out for help, people were there within minutes. No matter what time of day, people would show up to sandbag, man pumps, bring food or provide a shoulder for support. People were helping others even when their own home needed attention. Many were working at homes where they didn’t know the owner and possibly will never meet them again.
Thank you to all those that helped in so many ways to keep our community alive, you should be proud…it’s an amazing thing we have done.
