MOORHEAD -- Moorhead's sandbagging efforts are less confined to specific neighborhoods than in Fargo.
Moorhead is preparing 1 million sandbags, which would be enough to protect homes to about a 40-foot crest, city engineering documents show.
Infrastructure improvements and buyouts have reduced Moorhead's sandbag numbers by 40 percent to 50 percent compared to what was needed in 2009, Engineer Tom Trowbridge said.
This year, a 40-foot crest would mean about 186 homes would need to sandbag, city engineering documents show.
Above a 41-foot crest, 257 Moorhead residents along the river corridor need to sandbag.
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One area that sees a fairly widespread need for sandbagging is along the west end of 37th Avenue South, where many of the properties require protection at about 38 feet, Trowbridge said.
In other areas, sandbag needs vary by home elevation all along the Red River corridor and are dependent on factors such as a walk-out basement in individual home, he said.
Moorhead has acquired about 100 homes since the flood of 2009.
The city has prioritized buyouts, in many cases focusing on areas where multiple properties could be removed and converted into a levee project.
Moorhead uses sandbags for private properties that fall on the "wet side" of clay dikes. Clay levees and other permanent flood protection will be used to protect city infrastructure, Trowbridge said.
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