Thousands Flee Fargo Flooding

(AP) - Strengthening wind blew heavy, wet snow around Fargo today, adding to the strain on residents' spirits and on the patchwork system of sandbag levees protecting them from the bloated Red River. But there were no reports of problems from leaks or from wind-driven waves battering the dikes. “They say it's not going to affect the level of the river, but it just makes everything miserable,” one resident said. More»

(AP) - The bloated Red River might already have crested lower than initially feared, forecasters said today, welcome news for weary residents and others who had spent days piling sandbags onto dikes against an expected record flood. Despite the downward revision in the forecast, however, North Dakota officials still intensified their efforts to fend off the high water, deploying high-tech Predator drone aircraft. More»

(NEWSER) - The forecast in Fargo is actually getting worse. The Red River may crest at a potentially catastrophic 43 feet this weekend—2 feet higher than previous warnings, ABC News reports. "We're in uncharted territory," said the mayor, as volunteers raced to raise the levees in the North Dakota city. In a sign of the fear, workers have begun building a second set of dikes inside the main one, notes the New York Times. More»

Fargo residents battle freezing weather to shore up wall of sandbags

(NEWSER) - 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. More»

Red River could see record overflow

(NEWSER) - Minnesota and North Dakota work crews joined volunteers today to build levees and sandbag walls as a storm threatened to cause flooding, Inforum reports. Locals living along Red River are bracing for as much as 1 inch of rain tonight from a storm expected to last 2 days, causing river flood crests of 37 to 40 feet for a week afterwards. Water spilled over the Red River in Fargo yesterday, reaching 21 feet, or 3 feet above flooding, the Seattle Times reports. More»