Fargo

The rising of the Red River continues to threaten death and destruction in Fargo, North Dakota. In a long article, the AP reports that “New estimate raises ND flood higher than sandbags.” The photo below gives some sense of the adverse conditions with which those those who are sandbagging the river’s banks are contending.

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In south-central North Dakota, Bismarck has also been the victim of bad flooding due to the damming up of three small rivers/creeks that feed into the Missouri River. They are so full of ice chunks downstream that they caused the Missouri to overflow its banks and required widespread evacuations in Bismarck. Ice jams — a direct result of North Dakota’s colder-than-normal temperatures this winter — should not be a problem in late March.

The Missouri has declined three feet from its flood peak. The river’s decline was helped by demolition experts who were able to ease the river’s flows south of Bismarck by blowing up massive ice chunks on Wednesday (video here). The AP reports that Bismarck residents are now returning to their flood-stricken homes.

Via readers Paul W. Smith and Dennis Gowen.

JOHN adds: The Minneapolis Star Tribune has good coverage of the flood, including videos and a photo gallery here. Floods are difficult under any circumstances, but the winter flooding that occurs on the Red River is especially brutal, as this photo suggests:

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