FARGO (KFGO) – The city of Fargo and Cass County are hoping to fill 200,000 sandbags ahead of potential flooding in the coming weeks – that’s double the number of sandbags that city and county leaders predicted the area would need just one week ago. Mayor Tim Mahoney said preparations need to begin now.
“Easter came, the sun came out, and everybody was happy, and what happened with that was the melting. Well that’s great but guess what’s happening? We’re going to have a flood again this spring and with a flood comes my vest and comes sandbags,” Mahoney said, as he pulled on a bright yellow high-visibility safety vest to kick off a press conference at City Hall Monday.
City Division Engineer Nathan Boerboom said the National Weather Service’s initial deterministic forecast expects the Red River to rise to about 30-feet over the next few warmer days and then flatten out as temperatures fall over the weekend. But another rise is likely after that as temperatures are forecast to go up again next week.
“Our 50% number was roughly a river stage of 34-feet. The 10% number, which we are still planning for today, was approximately a 38-foot crest. So those are the numbers we are looking at that are probably our window of what the river crest will be on the Red this spring,” Boerboom said.
About a mile of temporary flood protection will be required in Fargo if the river reaches 37-feet. A crest of 38-feet would require two miles of levees and sandbags.
Cass County Engineer Jason Benson said Kindred could see flooding like it did last year. He said the Rush River which runs north of Casselton through Amenia could see near record flooding and could cause additional problems for Harwood, potentially bringing 2011-level flooding scenarios into play, but he said the timing and duration of the Red River’s crest will be a key determinant as well.
Students and volunteers will be used for the sandbag work at the Cass County Highway Department Building on Main Avenue in West Fargo, starting Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. Two sandbag “spider” machines will be in place. The goal is to fill the 200,000 sandbags by Friday, but leaders say that timeframe could be extended into the weekend if necessary.
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