FARGO (KFGO) – With a late season blizzard that could impact spring flooding looming, Senator John Hoeven brought local leaders together Monday to discuss the preparations and emergency response efforts underway for potential flooding in the Red River Valley.
Cass County officials say the region is much better protected than in the past. In 2009, the F-M metro needed to install 70 miles of emergency measures and filled seven million sandbags in order to fight the flood. Since then, 27.5 miles of permanent flood protection, including flood walls and levies, have been built, and City Engineer Nathan Boerboom said that only two miles of emergency measures and no more than 100,000 sandbags will be needed if the Red River reaches its anticipated 38-foot flood level this year.
Jim Kaiser of the National Weather Service said that while that flood outlook issued on March 23 is still valid, the coming storm will bring with it significant moisture which could push flood potential higher.
“Right now, the amount of water in the snow in the Fargo area is around five inches. This system will have an inch to an inch-and-a-half of water in it. So that really jumps up the flood potential, because we didn’t melt anything all winter,” he said.
Kaiser said while this winter isn’t yet in the top 20 all-time in terms of precipitation, this week’s storm could move it into the top ten. He said the ten days following the storm are forecast to be quiet. What happens next will determine flood levels.
“If we melt it fast or we rain on it, then that’s where we’re setting the stage for pretty high levels of flooding versus if we can melt it slow, because this ground was dry in the fall because of the drought that we had going into the winter, that would absorb a lot of this water taking kind of the head off of the flood – if it’s a slow thaw,” he said.
Kaiser said this week’s storm could bring with it 50-60 mile per hour gusts, heavy, wet snow, and large drifts.
Deputy County Engineer Tom Soucy said every flood is different and this winter’s heavy winds could be the x-factor.
“The wind has definitely been a challenge this winter the way it’s been kicking the snow around and pushing it around in different ways. Maybe it’s stacked up in shelterbelts or other ditches where we haven’t seen it in the past,” he said. “When the melt finally starts, in the places water typically would flow there might be a thicker snowbank which will divert the water to a different direction, and that might mean an increased the amount of water around certain homes or in areas that typically don’t see any.”
Commissioner Chad Peterson says that while flood mitigation efforts have become old hat for many in the community, population growth means education about flood response is crucial.
“There are tens of thousands of people who have never seen an event like this. We’re very blessed to have an extremely and aggressively growing community. And with that comes new faces and those new faces are hearing a lot of scary things right now. Know that we are good at this. We are good at fighting floods. We grew up throwing sandbags. We’re getting better every year in terms of preparation,” Peterson said.
Sandbagging is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, April 11, with Cass County anticipating filling nearly 100,000 sandbags. County officials said people can call 701-241-8000 to request sandbags, get information about road conditions, and find out about sandbagging volunteer opportunities.
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