Fargo Exhales As Red River Recedes

Water Falls Below City's Floodwalls; Businesses Allowed To Reopen

(AP)  Flood waters have fallen below most of the sandbag levees protecting Fargo, feeding optimism that the city had tamed the Red River, at least for now.

By early Wednesday, the river had fallen to 37.37 feet - still far above flood stage but below the top of the city's permanent floodwalls, which are topped with another 5 feet of sandbags.

"This should give us a sigh of relief," Mayor Dennis Walaker said.

City officials said businesses would be allowed to reopen Wednesday morning.

While the lower water levels took pressure off the floodwalls, engineers and National Guard troops braved a blinding snowstorm Tuesday to monitor the dikes for signs of stress.

Officials insist the city isn't safe just yet. Forecasters say the river could begin rising again in coming days, when more snow begins to melt. But even future crests aren't expected to approach the levels feared over the weekend.

Frigid temperatures are limiting the amount of snow and ice that would normally melt and flow into the waterway, the National Weather Service said.

But the storm added to the challenge of monitoring the dikes by dumping about 10 inches of snow in Fargo, producing a messy mix of mud and ice. Engineers in hard hats, life vests and steel-toe boots walked along earthen dikes, struggling to see through the blowing snow as they conducted inspections.

In neighboring Moorhead, Minn., National Guard members went door-to-door in flood-prone areas to make sure sandbags were not leaking.

Trucks with snow plows rolled through Fargo despite having hardly any visibility. Snow blowers rumbled through the day. And cars slid all over the icy roads, including one driven by a teenager who slammed into a sheriff's department vehicle and nearly plummeted into the river.

Homeowners kept a constant vigil over pumps to make sure ice did not clog discharge hoses.

"I lived in North Dakota all my life. After a while, you just get tired of it," said Ryan Such, 26, who was operating a pickup truck equipped with a plow Tuesday.

The mayor's message to the city was simple: "The word of the day is hunker, hunker down. That means stay snug in your areas and please do not travel."

Light snow was again possible Wednesday, but accumulations would be below a couple inches, the National Weather Service said.

Authorities also warned people to stay away from the dangerous river. Late Monday, a man was arrested for driving a snowmobile on a dike, and one brave soul was caught paddling a canoe up the river.

Earlier in the week, a woman was accused of drunken driving after she attempted to drive over a levee in her van and got stuck.

[stillwaters6]

RAISE THE LAND AND THE RIVER WILL FLOW.

IT'S CALLED GEOLOGICAL REJUVENATION.

THE LAND AND THE RIVER MUST WORK TOGETHER.

[hawksprings]

JoetheDumbass
(Fitting name, BTW)

It's not the President who calls out the NG.
It's the Governor.

And what did Blanco do? Nada.
And what did Nagin do with all the school buses? Nada.

New Orleans is the best example of what happens when Democrats are in charge.
They do nothing but whine and blame others when they could have done a lot for themselves.

[JoetheDumbass]

"Fargo is a great community.
New Orleans could learn a lot from Fargo."
Yea, like having a president that actually RESPONDS to a crisis before it happens. The NG was there before the water hit.

[hawksprings]

Fargo is a great community.

New Orleans could learn a lot from Fargo.

[laffman99]

Ryan, I don't think where anyone lives can dodge mother nature. Where ever people live there are always problems, California, there are wild fires and mudslides, Midwest there are tornadoes all the time, the east coast there are Hurricanes. Just be glad you live in the USA and not some other country!!!!

[I_am_me1953]

Oh ya? The how did the flood water recede if God wasnt there to recede it? You have no answers!
Posted by Harry_Snapperorgans at 6:38 AM : Apr 1, 2009
________________

Gee Troll!

It is called gravity. It makes things like water flow down hill. Not unlike the intended proposal(s) from Ronny Reagan and GWB concerning "Trickle Down Economics." (TDE) Only thing is; gravity works better, TDE is more like the ice blockage itself, until mankind intervenes all the water ($$ in TDE) stays in one place. Now like the flood, we have to all bailout the entire system to keep the flood from getting worse in our homes.

See, I can make a happy story about a natural event a political issue.

[I_am_me1953]

Fargo Exhales
---------------

Does this mean they inhaled?

[reasoned1955]

These folks should be proud of themselves. This is an example of people taking responsibility for their own welfare. The warnings went out, the people rallied, developed and executed a plan, and minimized damage and injuries. A great lesson for any of us forewarned of potential natural disasters.

[hunterdon6]

Might as well save all of these headlines for next year and the year after. Because Fargo will face flooding again.