Sandbags

I feel sorry for anyone who has something like this happen to them, but I can't help but wonder why they'd build their houses in a flood zone in the first place.

Unfortunate.

But... why continue to build habitations where one knows full well one will face regular flooding like that? It doesn't make sense. It would be wise to determine what's likely a safe distance from the potential flood areas and build outside of them, preferably a little bit further, to accomodate for potential future record flood levels. Or build in such ways as to avoid flood damage, like building on little hills or whatever, and implement appropriate contingency plans (have boats ready) and be prepared for the worst. Why not do the smart thing, rather than the stupid, don't-worry-about-it-just-shut-up thing?

It's like continuing to put trailer parks in tornado-prone areas and to situate habitations in hurricane-prone places and which haven't been designed to withstand hurricane-force winds, thanks to negligent policymakers and builders. How about aerodynamic, carbon-fiber or stainless-steel buildings able to withstand to such winds?

I know that most of the time things are fine, but, really, there's no doubt that the bad stuff WILL happen, and happen pretty much annually, or ought to be anticipated thusly. But isn't it insane to keep rebuilding in a place where one knows full well disaster will strike again, no question?

It's one of those bizarre mysteries of society, I guess, doing insane stuff. Just like the world hasn't learned that appeasing tyrants doesn't work, we haven't learned to avoid building habitations in regularly-disaster-prone areas.

At least the locals are taking initiative and not standing by to blame the Fed Govt.

Virtually the entire US midwest is a "flood zone". All of the major rivers of the Mississippi, Missouri and Red River drainage basins can, and occasionally do, flood. Ying and yang - the region is also amongst the most fertile in the US because of it, and the source of much of North America's food supply. You have to be close enough to the land to be able work and harvest it, even if it means working from a boat, sometimes.

CS - it's all a flood zone. It's the Red River valley. The Manitoba flood of 97 was over 10 km across in places. When you drive through that region, most of the farm houses are built on artificial hills.

The cold makes working on dikes miserable but it will slow the melt of the new snow they just received. Lord knows they have enough water now.

One of the pix showed a flooded farm with a large barn. I wonder what has happened to the livestock?

These are hardy people. I wish them well.

There wasn't "regular" flooding for quite some time. What the problem is people and government got complacent. Grand Forks did a wonderful job after 97, they cleared out entire areas of houses and put up green areas. They also built a floodway like Winnipeg did back in the 60's.

You have to realize how much the river comes up. Forty feet is a huge amount! Interstate 29 will be closing soon, as will highway 75 in Manitoba in a few weeks.

Further to CP's comment - "At least the locals are taking initiative and not standing by to blame the Fed Govt." - what struck me most about those great photos was how individuals are pulling together to help their own community.

In Socialist Europe (or Louisiana) I get the strong sense that people would just wait around for The Government to help them.

God Bless the people of North Dakota ... and God Help them too!

well....if you ever had any doubt that Obama obviously hates white people surely the lack of response by the Federal government to alleviate this tragedy will dispel it....

"but I can't help but wonder why they'd build their houses in a flood zone in the first place."

Millions, if not billions, of people live in areas prone to floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, landslides, blizzards, extreme heat or cold, forest fires or drought. The trick is in recognizing the potential for harm and taking steps to reduce it. Civil disaster planning is crucial, as is personal planning. So far, the plans look good.

You do what you gotta do, then pray for a little luck. If you live in North Dakota that is how you are raised.

What a challenge to keep that water at bay. I wish I were there to help.

What a hardworking community!The kind of neighbours/neighbourhood that I would love.
Robert W.:
right on! No sitting back demanding the guvamint to do sumthin!

I've mentioned it before here on occassion but take a good close look at all of the pictures again and then tell me where all the Native-Americans, Afro-Americans, and Asian-Americans are in the volunteer corps.

The native, afros and asians that live there will be chipping in alongside the rest of them. People who live in cold climates largely off the land where you rely on one another tend to be colourblind when things need to get done.

Dear Leader has even chimed in:

North Dakota Suffers Record Cold Year But Obama Blames Global Warming For Flooding Anyway

Antenor tried to make this a race issue: I've mentioned it before here on occassion but take a good close look at all of the pictures again and then tell me where all the Native-Americans, Afro-Americans, and Asian-Americans are in the volunteer corps.

Have you ever been to Fargo or Grand Forks? If one had a blond-hair, blue-eyes fetish, it's the place to go. The minorities there are few and far between, but the ones that are there, you can expect to find them in uniform.

Don't go down this road. It's a dead end and petty.

To me, the difference here is not along racial lines, but between the rural spirit and the urban expectation.

Wider than that Kate.

[ During the flood of 1997, for example, an area of about 2000 km2 and up to 40 km wide was inundated in southern Manitoba between the Canada/USA border and the Floodway inlet at St. Norbert.] Natural Resources Canada

http://gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/floods/redriver/geological_e.php

livecam from downtown Winnipeg:

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/Red-River-webcam-42015142.html

All we see and hear about is Fargo and Moorehead. There are many communities and people living all along both sides of the Red River. Businesses and homes and farms and farm animals!! Are they getting any help?

Being a Nordic American, trust me on this - in general, things are friendlier and more efficient on loading docks in Nogales than they are in Minneapolis. Maybe its a latitude thing. Maybe Rubios are just born snotty. Somebody said that Russians are so hostile because they have to wear those heavy coats for so much of the year. Generalities suck, IMHO. And thanks to an MB truck driver I met in AZ who opened my eyes to a little geography, my prayers are with those in Winnipeg & environs in this one.

looks pretty cold to be blaming global warming.

but the TOTUS had done it.

This is the spirit that created the US....one that sadly has disappeared in the lib/left sewers of the big cities. Those living in the big cities have gotten so far away from reality, they can't even see that their own foundations are being eroded beneath them by their own blind stupidity and idealogy.

Fay, click on Kate's 2nd link and scroll down to "Emergency Management" at the bottom. There's info from ND, MN and FEMA. And I'd expect that like most crisis situations, the best way to help from afar is contact the Red Cross.

Reminds me of a story 20/20's John Stossel did on the cost of subsidized flood insurance in the United States.

abcnews.go.com/business/insurance/story?id=94181

This is not "regular" flooding. The river is at a level not seen before. However, I do believe Fargo could learn something from Duff's Ditch.

Just goes to show we don't need government to hold our hands. Just simple Human survival brings out the best in people if not great will to achieve. With out the interference of the power junkies or no it alls. Folks always find a way.
By the way, didn't Obama promise to lower the Waters?
JMO

RD..I believe that was the ocean he was referring to. His record so far would lead me to conclude that he thought the Mississippi River was only in Mississippi.

So where is Sean Penn?

Can anyonone find Sean Penn?

just flipping through channels CNN reporting that the "Obama Administration" is doing well on its first crisis .

anyone see any gubmint folks there. maybe a busload of ACORN volunteers.

The Obamaprompter is getting his disks ready for his speech at the G20

It is always interesting to hear people's reaction to natural disasters. Why build in a flood plain, why build in an earthquake zone, why live where hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes, brush fires, etc.

Basic reason is that is where the good soil, transportation access, market access is and by golly, that's what us humans do. Red river valley is fertile land for growing stuff but it does flood (like almost all rivers) so, like the Egyptians along the Nile, you have to adjust and cowboy up.

Lest I forget a juxtaposition moment, notice how prepared and organized these people are in N. Dak?

Goreacle and his Sandbag Corps comes through with the best sandbags of all.
All volunteers.
Watta guy!
...-

"Cold weather eases flood threat in Fargo"

"The river's level has continued to drop since midnight CDT and was 40.61 feet at 1:15 p.m. CDT on Saturday, down from 40.82 feet. The temperature was 21 degrees F (minus 6 Celsius) just before 1 p.m.

The river had been forecast to crest on Saturday at 42 feet before freezing temperatures caused the weather service to revise its forecast. The river should stay at its current level or drop over the next three to four days, the NWS said."
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE52P6KA20090328

Thanks for the info, Kate. Boy, how relatively little I know about the West, from whence I hail. I've been an Easterner for far too long. At least I plan to move westward, though, at least to Ottawa, when the appropriate opportunity arises... not easy to wait, must be patient...

Nice photo gallery...

Some flood facts:
- The 1997 flood did a great deal of damage to Fargo city officials and NDak officials have done little to prevent that from happening again. Thus the great need for sandbagging in 2009.

- The "Octopus" sand bag filler ...is the creation of a Manitoba farmer.

- Grand Forks NDak and East Grand Forks were virtually wiped out in '97. They undertook much needed efforts to build flood prevention infrastructure (unlike Fargo) and are not facing the same threat that Fargo is thanks to those efforts.

- Today CBS took the time to interrupt the NCAA sports broadcasts with a piece on the Fargo Situation... mostly because there was a sports "angle" with local UND State athletes volunteering in flood preparation efforts. Good for CBS!
- However, the CBS coverage showed video from Grand Forks in '97 while talking about the Fargo'97 event..... apparently CBS does not know or care about the difference of two cities 90 miles apart....typical.

- The Manitoba flood area in 1997 was greater than 40 kilometers wide in the area from as far south as the border through Morris up to the Brunkild road dyke.

- The '97 flood very nearly overwhelmed the Winnipeg floodway causing near collapse of the flood gates at the south end and the outfall at the north end between Lockport and Selkirk.
- Most years the prairie snowpack melts and evaporates in cycles and stages that occur over the entire winter. In these extreme flood years the snowpack was preserved by cold temperatures and the volume of melt aggravated by addition late snows combined with normal spring warming.

- Jean Chretien showed up at a house in Winnipeg located on Scotia Drive while the homeowners and volunteers were sandbagging.... he showed up not to offer support but to catch a sound byte opportunity announcing an election call... someone handed the little prick a sandbag ... that was a good little snapshot.
- A Local CBC reporter attended ALL of the local emergency briefings. These briefings were broadcast in full and live on Shaw community access TV ... we got to watch that little twerp do nothing but interject ridiculous questions aimed at nothing but creating some inflammatory headline opportunities for the scum.

- When CBC anchor Mansbridge showed up to stand at the Forks ... the locals flocked to interview HIM about the flood....he did not even know where he was .... stupid as stupid gets.

- In local coverage of the current situation in NDak ONLY the local US stations are offering any information about the region's small communities etc.
- To the person who asked about protection of farms and livestock ... this flood did not happen overnight.. the EMO has removal programs and there is NO excuse for leaving livestock in harm's way.

- in 1997 the MSM including CBC/CTV and the print dinosaurs including the Free Press wrote scare pieces about the Military martialing outside of Winnipeg (Dugald) there were local moonbats attempting to protest the military presence.

Hmmm... wonder if they're concerned about turning off their lights for Earth Hour.

Another interesting tidbit I read in the comments. This area is flatter than the curvature of the earth. Twelve inch drop in a mile vs. 15" in a mile. How long will that take to drain?

poor little dakotans all alone wiff no hep from that mean white boy hatin o-bama

"the Homeland Security Department and the Federal Emergency Management Agency were coordinating the federal response. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was in close contact with state officials. FEMA's acting administrator, Nancy Ward, went to Fargo, N.D., where the surging Red River threatened to unleash an enormous flood.

the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Coast Guard, the Defense Department, the National Guard and the Health and Human Services Department, as well as the American Red Cross, were involved in response efforts on the ground.

The administration was working closely with North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven, South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, and .

"Obama declared it a disaster area on Tuesday days before before the flooding, so that they could receive federal aid and manpower....Bush didn't declare the Gulf Coast a disaster area until after the storm hit."

"What are you talking about? Do you live in Fargo? I DO.
Obama had a very quick response to the flood! VERY QUICK! We were declared a disaster on Tuesday, that was MUCH quicker than Bush's crappy handling of New Orleans"

yous kids ought to try researchin'

Very moving photos. I didn't see anyone looting, just chipping in to help their neighbours -- and strangers.