WINNIPEG – Flood officials in Fargo-Moorhead held their first public flood meeting Monday to prepare for a major flood.
“Sounds like it’s going to be one of the biggest flood events in history,” said North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple.
Last week, the US National Weather Service announced it’s expecting a top five flood for the area. That water will eventually head north into Manitoba along the Red River.
Manitoba flood officials will release their updated flood forecast Tuesday morning but in the meantime, communities north of Winnipeg are concerned and preparing for the worst.
The Rural Municipality of St. Clements has already built dikes, erected Hesco barriers around one home north of Selkirk and have purchased a $16,000 machine to help make sandbags faster.
“At this time, we’re looking at above-average overland flooding and possible ice jamming,” said Darcy Hardman, the Emergency Measures Coordinator for the RM of St. Andrews.
The RM opened its emergency measures office Monday and has started clearing ditches of snow to allow for better drainage. Hardman says they’ve just acquired about 75 orange tiger tubes to place on top of dikes when the water rises and will begin making sandbags Friday. Officials anticipate a fast melt and worry about ice jams along the Red River which will back up Netley Creek.
“If it breaks wide open, I’m expecting to be told to move on,” said Henry Dueck, who lives near Netley Creek.
In 2009, ice jams caused the Red River to back up into the creek north of Selkirk, flooding some homes.
Back in Fargo, the mayor is preparing to declare a state of emergency and has about 2000 soldiers and the National Guard on stand by.
“We have already developed our plans on various scenarios to include a worst case scenario,” said National Guard Major General David Sprynczynatyk.
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