Flood fight calms in Fargo, surrounding area still struggling

Despite rain and a quick melt, Fargo, North Dakota was able to avert the severe flooding from the Red River predicted earlier this winter.

With help from area high school students, the sandbag dikes were laid down quickly and efficiently. Of course, Fargo students have had quite a lot of sandbagging experience, with major floods the past two years, including the record-breaking crest of 41 feet in 2009.

This year, city officials were more prepared, creating 3 million sandbags during the winter. It seems Fargo has finally learned its lesson: always be prepared.

Extra time to prepare for flooding only helped the Fargo community this year. While this year’s crest of 38.75 feet would have shaken the city in the past, after the historic flood of 2009 it seems hardly as devastating.

However, the surrounding areas are having a little more trouble, with historic floodwaters threatening outlying communities. Interstate 29 is closed both to the north and south of Fargo due to water covering the road, along with countless numbers of state highways, according to NDDOT. Valley City is also struggling with flooding from the Baldhill Dam which will bring the Sheyenne River to record heights.

As Fargo city leaders are planning to remove sandbags this weekend, according to a televised morning press-release, other towns are still scrambling for help.