North Dakota Braces for Record Floods

North Dakota officials issued a plea for thousands more sandbaggers this morning as residents scrambled to prepare for record flooding expected this weekend, reports ABC News. Volunteers in Fargo are battling a blizzard to raise a wall of sandbags along the Red River, predicted to crest at a new high of 42 feet by early Saturday. Evacuation plans are being finalized, even as more blasts are planned to break up continuing ice jams in the Missouri River near Bismarck.

Water levels dropped 2 feet yesterday after demolition teams blew up two ice jams causing a backup that had forced the evacuation of 1700 residents. President Obama has already issued a federal disaster declaration for 34 counties, and the entire state remains under a major flood warning. The expected crest in Fargo would put the city into "uncharted territory," warns the city's mayor. (More Fargo stories.)