Spring Floods
By Liz Bennefeld
20 Mar 2009
Every few years the Red River Valley of the North gets some extraordinary flooding in the spring. In the parking lots and along the boulevards gigantic mounds of snow have been piled. Last week we had a blizzard, and this week, with temperatures in the 30s, 40s and even 50s, the snow drifts in our back yard sit atop veritable lakes of water. The mountains of snow in the parking lots (see photo) are providing steady streams that turn to sheer ice each night.
With rain, freezing rain, and even a bit of snow in the forecast for the next 10 days, the predicted river crest in Fargo has been moved from the middle of April to March 28th with a river of 39.5 to 40.0 (flood stage is 18 feet). We got the word this evening that our ham radio group may be going on 24-hour duty as communication volunteers beginning on Monday. The fellow across the back fence from us already has water seeping into his basement, and my parents already had that problem in their home, 30 miles east of here. So, the show is starting with overland flooding, followed by rain and then the river's rise. Remarkably like the flood of 1997--a volunteer experience I never want to go through again--although we are so much better prepared that I don't expect there will be anything like the nightmares of 12 years ago.
Still, I'm cooking food for us that won't have to be frozen or heated, in case we lose power, again, and charging all the cell phone batteries just in case we lose the land lines (and Internet). The camera, computer and 2-meter radio batteries are charging. And I've moved the bottom layer of books in my library from the basement to the living room.
Now, until things start to happen, I will wash clothes, blankets, and quilts; cook and freeze meals ahead, put together to-go bags for emergency work and,or mandatory evacuation (we've never had to do that, but an aunt and uncle did in '97), and get ready to take lots of photographs along the way.
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