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More Levees Doomed: Fargo Mayor

By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 29, 2009 2:45 PM CDT
More Levees Doomed: Fargo Mayor
A parishioner folds his hands in prayer for victims of the Red River flooding during a city wide worship service at the Ramada Plaza & Suites, Sunday, March 29, 2009, in Fargo.   (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The bloated Red River briefly breached a dike early today, pouring water into a school campus in Fargo, ND. The mayor called it a "wakeup call" for a city that needs to be vigilant for weaknesses in levees that could give way at any time. "The campus is basically devastated. They fought the good fight," Mayor Dennis Walaker said. "Those things will continue to happen. I guarantee it."

Crews managed to largely contain the flooding to the campus of Oak Grove Lutheran School, preventing more widespread damage in nearby areas. To prevent additional dike breaches, officials planned to begin dropping one-ton sandbags from helicopters today to deflect the violent current of the Red River and keep it from eroding vulnerable sections of the levees. (More flood stories.)

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