Widespread Flood Damage Hits Minot, ND
June 27, 2011
The Souris River, or simply the “Mouse” as it is also called after its French name, reached 1561 feet above sea level early Sunday, toppling the 130 year old record by nearly 4 feet, according to the National Weather Service. The crest is expected to last through most of Sunday but was thankfully a couple of feet below what was predicted.
The Souris River is now far over its banks and it has pushed through low-lying neighborhoods in Minot as well as into several smaller towns in the area. Officials are still hard at work trying to save crucial infrastructures such as area bridges as they continue to build up make-shift levees to help protect the areas of Minot that are still dry.
It could take several weeks before the waters retreat so that affected homeowners can check on the conditions of their homes. About 11,000 of Minot’s residents were forced to evacuate their homes. Now most are hoping for the best but expecting the worst. In the nearby community of Burlington, NK which is home to 1,100 residents, the news is also grim. Nearly 60% of the homes there were swamped with floodwater and the homes that were not affected by flooding are now without water. Burlington mayor has advised those homeowners and renters without water that it is best that they find a new place to live because the water will “probably not come on anytime soon”. A broken water main is to blame. The broken main drained most of the water out of the town’s water tower before it could be identified as being the culprit.
Back in Minot, the sun was shining Sunday but over 4,000 homes are completely swamped with water even though the flood waters have peaked. Curt Zimberlman, mayor of Minot, said Sunday that the devastation may be worse than what was expected. The North Dakota National Guard is on the scene in Minot monitoring the situation and ensuring that no residents are stranded inside their homes. The National Guard also has reported that heavy rains which fell Saturday can keep the river at its history-breaking crest for longer than expected, which is not what flood-weary Minot residents wanted to hear.
There is a bit of positive news concerning Minot. There are many acts of kindness taking place across the city as garages have been turned into storage facilities for flood victims and unaffected homeowners have opened their doors to displaced townspeople. Local churches are also offering to provide flood victims with shelter. There are many stories developing of people helping each other which is a heartwarming counter-point to the destruction caused by the Souris River flooding.
More Rain Could Make Things Worse Along Missouri River
June 10, 2011
Unwelcome lines of thunderstorms dumped rain and hail on portions of Nebraska and Iowa on Thursday which could make the historic Missouri River flooding even worse. The Missouri River reached over 30 feet at Omaha Wednesday night which is its highest level since the historic flood of 1952. Officials reported that a levee near Hamburg, Iowa suffered its 3rd breach Thursday morning.
The Missouri Valley was saturated with heavy rain Thursday afternoon, causing roads and highways to flood. Rain is in the forecast for the next week in the Omaha area with heavy rains in the forecast across the river in Iowa. As the Missouri River continues to rise, Iowa communities which are threatened by flooding are doing everything they can to prepare. Piles of sandbags will be the first line of defense for many of the homes in the town of Missouri Valley as scores of volunteers are scrambling to fill the bags with sand and dirt.
The rising Missouri River is not expected to return to normal until late summer. Officials in Hamburg are concerned that the levee along the river that has already sprung a leak will give way completely, leaving the town vulnerable to heavy flooding. Officials have already ordered half of the town’s 1,100 residents to evacuate as they warn that up to ten feet of water could enter Hamburg and then remain for weeks or even months.
In Leavenworth, Kansas, crews were placing large sandbags near the city’s community center in downtown yesterday in advance of rising water along the Missouri River, with hopes that the temporary measures will protect against the impending deluge from the north. Leavenworth is expecting a crest of up to 33 feet.
A federal official said yesterday that people along the Missouri River who bought flood insurance at the last minute will not have coverage for damages caused by the flood waters. Flood insurance policies do not take effect until thirty days after they are purchased so no policies bought after May 2nd will cover damage from the high waters that are expected to last for a month or two.
The Missouri River at Williston, North Dakota reached flood stage on Thursday with more water on the way. The water levels reached over 28 feet which broke the 1912 record of 26 feet. Officials are warning that the river level is expected to reach 29 feet due to releases from the Fort Peck Dam in Montana. Over 250 miles of the Missouri River have been closed to boaters. The Missouri River basin creates the northwestern portion of the Mississippi River basin which funnels water into the Gulf of Mexico.
Flooding of the Mississippi River is Threatening Lives and Jobs
June 4, 2011
The Mississippi River is moving so fast in some areas that it is creating white caps as it takes down entire trees and churns debris. The muddy brown water has been causing some barges to go so fast downstream that onlookers say that they look like they could pull water skiers.
The rising Mississippi is taking aim at the Delta region as it continues its slow, destructive march downriver this weekend. When the Morganza Spillway is opened this weekend it will save New Orleans from disaster but it will send the brown murky water onto farmlands and into communities on the river bank. Rain falling on Friday in the area did not help the situation and more showers and thunderstorms are in the forecast.
Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal took a fly-over of the Morganza Spillway and the surrounding areas this week to see conditions for himself. He is urging people in the affected areas to evacuate their homes now before it is too late. He also reminded people that it is better and much safer to leave now than to wait to be rescued later. The US Army Corp of Engineers already blew a hole in a levee near Cairo, Illinois and has opened a spillway on the outskirts of New Orleans to relieve some pressure but still the waters are rising.
The Coast Guard in Louisiana is going to close a nearly 200 mile stretch of river from Baton Rouge down to the Gulf once the water hits the 18 foot gauge in Carrollton. This is expected to occur on Monday. Ships carrying grain from the country’s heartland won’t be able to reach their destinations which is likely to result in massive amounts of corn, soybeans and other crops to rot. The US economy could be facing a bill running into the hundreds of millions of dollars a day if the lower portion of the Mississippi River is closed to ships.
The task of controlling river traffic is never easy on the Mississippi but the job gets much tougher when the big river shows its teeth as it is doing now. Ships are now having to travel much faster than normal in order to handle the strong currents, risking the chance of running aground and into each other. The Coast Guard says that the river could reach 18 feet by Monday to force a closure as 17 foot water levels are the maximum height river traffic can handle safely.
