Mayor warns against complacency

By Melinda Rogers, The Forum
Published Monday, April 03, 2006

Fargo Mayor Bruce Furness pleaded with Red River Valley residents Sunday morning to prepare for rising floodwaters.

The National Weather Service predicts the Red River will crest in Fargo at 37.5 feet sometime late Tuesday.

Some residents are waiting too long to take necessary precautions to protect their homes from flooding, Furness said at a Sunday news conference.

“We don’t want them to get complacent thinking the crest might be less than (37 feet). We urge them to get bags and be ready to place those bags based on previous experience,” he said.

“I know they’re hanging on as long as they can. But we want them to be realistic in terms of placing those sandbags.”

Flood stage in Fargo is 18 feet. The 1997 flood reached 39.6 feet. At 8 a.m. Sunday, the river was just over 32 feet – up slightly from 30.1 feet recorded at 6 p.m. Saturday evening.

By 5:30 p.m. Sunday, the river rose to 33 feet in Fargo.

The city continued building dikes and sandbagging endangered areas. City and county officials fear those activities will need to escalate if the region receives more rain today and this week.

Contractors Northern Improvement Co. and Industrial Builders Inc. completed a dike on Second Street South near the Fargo High Rise on Saturday and were working to finish protection efforts for Second Street North.

A clay dike using 10,000 yards of clay and dirt will be completed by this afternoon between the river and Fargo City Hall.

El Zagal Golf Course, at 1400 Elm Street, is expected to flood later today when the river reaches 34 feet.

The city is targeting other areas near the river, including First Avenue North and the Ridgewood Area south of the VA Hospital at 2101 Elm Street N.

Furness urged citizens to volunteer with sandbagging efforts. First Link of Fargo Executive Director Kristi Crawford said the organization is in “desperate need” of volunteers to help with flood efforts.

She said First Link dispatched about 200 volunteers on Saturday but more people are needed to build dikes around areas hit hardest by flooding in Cass and Clay counties.

Furness said volunteers filled 20,000 sandbags on Saturday and distributed 7,000 around the city. He said he wants 40,000 sandbags stockpiled in preparation for this week’s crest.

About 80 athletes from North Dakota State University helped to fill sandbags at Fargo’s solid waste facility at 2301 8th Ave. N.

In Cass County, about 75,000 sandbags have been given to residents, said Dave Rogness, director of Cass County Emergency Management.

The county’s worst areas are south of Fargo in places adjacent to the Wild Rice River. Areas north of West Fargo to Harwood near the Sheyenne River are also problem spots, Rogness said.

Furness warned citizens to stay away from flood sites and dikes. He said parents need to tell their children not to play near the river.

The city will start ticketing people who are caught climbing on dikes or parking in prohibited areas near flood sites, Furness said.

“Our needs at this point are pretty simple. We think we’re on top of the situation. We need some help with volunteer efforts. We need some help on the safety issues,” Furness said.

“The other need we have is no rain.”

The Minn-Kota chapter of the American Red Cross, using two emergency disaster response vehicles, served more than 500 meals and snacks Saturday to those fighting the flood in the Fargo-Moorhead area, according to David Pattengale, emergency services director.

He said the volunteer effort will continue over the next several days.

The chapter placed 35 locally trained disaster volunteers on alert, as well as volunteer staffs from three nearby chapters, Pattengale said.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Melinda Rogers at (701) 241-5524