Abercrombie, N.D., swamped by 8 inches of rain

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ABERCROMBIE, N.D. – Water has filled 15 to 20 basements and crawl spaces and flooded streets in Abercrombie after about 8 inches of rain fell since Tusday afternoon, Mayor Kevin Bernier said.

A flash flood remains in effect until 10 a.m. today for northeastern Richland, northern Wilkin and south-central Clay counties, parts of which had received up to 6.5 inches of rain before the skies opened up again this morning, the National Weather Service said.

Abercrombie received about 6.5 inches between 1 and 4 p.m. Tuesday, and the water flowed across farmland and inundated the city’s sanitary sewer system, Bernier said.

The city borrowed extra pumps from the Army Corps of Engineers at Orwell Dam and had just caught up with the water when another 1.75 inches fell this morning, swamping streets in several spots again, he said, adding the sanitary sewer also was “a little overwhelmed.”

“We had maybe two basements wet in the spring flood, but this was more,” Bernier said. “We had a lot more water in the city of Abercrombie than we did in March. It was several inches higher.”

A corps dike that was built this spring about half a mile south of town was helping to hold back some overland flooding, he said.

Abercrombie is about 30 miles south of Fargo.

The weather service said roads, low-lying areas and basements were expected to be flooded, and motorists were advised to be cautious of washed-out roads.

The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead and the Herald are Forum Communications Co. newspapers.

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