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Third of US Faces Floods This Spring

Rains, wet winter, expected El Nino delivering deluge

By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff

Posted Mar 22, 2010 4:54 AM CDT

(Newser) – In the latest climate calamity to cause misery, a third of the US is expected to be hit with flooding this spring. The Midwest, followed by the East Coast, will likely bear the brunt of what could be record flooding, brought by heavy rains last autumn, a wetter-than-usual winter, and a predicted El Nino weather system. "We are looking at potentially historic flooding," said a top official of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"It's a multi-year problem," said a NOAA forecaster. "We've been in an extreme wet pattern since this fall." Residents in and around Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota, are already battling flood waters from the swollen Red River and its tributaries. Flooding is the deadliest weather hazard in the US and claims some 100 lives a year, reports ABC News.

The city of Halstad, Minn., drowns in flood waters from the Red River yesterday.
The city of Halstad, Minn., drowns in flood waters from the Red River yesterday.   (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
Homes in a Fargo subdivision are inundated with flood waters from the swollen Sheyenne River yesterday.
Homes in a Fargo subdivision are inundated with flood waters from the swollen Sheyenne River yesterday.   (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
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COMMENTS
Showing 2 of 3 comments
Deluxe_Crusader
Mar 22, 2010 7:30 PM CDT
Midwest flooding.
Big deal.
Happens every year, i have no pity for those who live in flood plains, and are surprised by flooding in spring.
One third is a huge number, but by no means do these floods have to kill or hurt anyone. A lot of people forget to use common sense when they are in a survival situation.
Know when a flood will hit, way before it does. do not waste time with sandbagging your house, really, there's no point.
instead, get in your car, go to the store, buy a tent, and 2 weeks worth of non perishable food.
Then, LEAVE.
There is no reason to ever be surprised by a flood anymore.
know ahead of time, and by spring, have a backup plan.

I'm shocked to see that no one has blamed homosexuals, Obama, or the healthcare bill yet.
Usually happens a few days after a flood though i guess.
Snowleopard
Mar 22, 2010 5:53 PM CDT
the hotter the earth is, the more ocean evaporation takes place, which means more water in the atmosphere, which results in heavier rain and snow, which results in more flooding, and which results in cooling of the atmosphere... a classic example of a negative feedback loop. expect to see a lot more stories like this in coming years.
 

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