ND river tops record; town plugs leaks in dikes
VALLEY CITY, N.D. (AP) -- More North Dakota National Guard members are being called in to help monitor dikes protecting Valley City from the Sheyenne River, already higher than its 1882 record.
Crews had to repair at least three dike leaks in one 24-hour period, one on Main Street and two others in areas where nearby residents had to temporarily evacuate.
Gov. John Hoeven said the number of National Guard members in Valley City would be doubled to help with monitoring dikes. Officials expect the monitoring to last for weeks.
The National Weather Service has posted flood warnings for much of North Dakota. Roads are flooded throughout the state, and state Transportation Department Director Francis Ziegler said some highways will have to be completely rebuilt. Late Monday, state officials closed a 100-mile stretch of Interstate 94 between Bismarck and Jamestown because of flooding.
In Walsh County, in northeastern North Dakota, Sheriff Lauren Wild said a man missing since his pickup was swept away near the town of Park River early Sunday was presumed drowned. Two other people in the truck swam to safety.
The Sheyenne River that is threatening Valley City empties into the Red River, which is expected to reach a second flood crest of its own near Fargo this week.
The Red River crested at Fargo and neighboring Moorhead, Minn., late last month just short of 41 feet, after volunteers filled thousands of sandbags to raise levees above that mark. The river's second crest there is projected to reach around 38 feet or 39 feet, slightly lower than earlier forecasts.
"It doesn't look quite as bad as we thought, as far what's coming towards us," Fargo City Commissioner Tim Mahoney said Monday.
In the meantime, Fargo is sending some of its sandbags to Valley City, about 60 miles away, and to Lisbon, another Sheyenne River town, Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker said.
The Sheyenne rose Monday above the 20-foot Valley City record set in April 1882. At 6 a.m. Tuesday, it was up to 20.58 feet, headed to a crest of around 22 feet in the next couple of days, the National Weather Service said.
Mayor Mary Lee Nielson did not know how many people were temporarily evacuated in the town of 6,875 residents.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
