FARGO -- There is an above-average risk of significant flooding across North Dakota this spring and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is already taking aggressive steps to meet the threat, information released by U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., shows.
"I will continue to work with the corps to make certain that North Dakota communities have all the federal help they need to fight any flooding," Dorgan said in releasing highlights of a report he received from the corps on the threat of flooding this spring.
The report, which was developed in conjunction with the National Weather Service, stated there is a 100 percent chance that the Red River at Fargo will exceed major flood stage.
There is a 90 percent chance of rivers exceeding major flood stage at cities such as Abercrombie, Lisbon, Harwood and West Fargo, the corps report stated.
Dorgan, who asked the corps in February to provide him with a flood threat assessment, listed several highlights of the report:
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- The corps has completed an inventory of flood-fight materials -- such as empty sandbags, pumps and plastic sheeting -- and will place them at critical locations later this month.
- Corps reservoirs in North Dakota and Minnesota are being drawn down to provide maximum retention capacity.
- Two districts that oversee corps operations in North Dakota have proclaimed emergency declarations and set up crisis management teams to help prepare community leaders.
The corps report provided to Dorgan states that locations that have a greater than 50 percent chance of reaching or exceeding major flood level include Wahpeton, Valley City, Drayton and Pembina in North Dakota, and Halstad and Oslo in Minnesota.
