Volunteers needed to finish massive flood dike push
Mar 26, 2009 - 2:46:19 PM
Fargo's flood fight is going well, with no dike breaches at this time. However, sandbaggers are needed to continue a massive push to be ready for a record river crest.
At an afternoon news conference, Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker said the dikes are in good shape, but the dikes will need to withstand a crest now predicted at 41.2 feet Saturday.
Volunteers are urged to call the volunteer hotline before heading out to assist with flood fighting efforts. The volunteer hotline number is 701-476-4000. This will help coordinators stagger volunteers.
No emergency has been ordered in Fargo yet. "We have a tremendous amount of confidence" in the city's dikes, the engineers who designed them, and the volunteers out making and placing sandbags, said Police Chief Keith Ternes. "However, it is prudent to have an evacuation plan if the need arises."
There is no plan now for an evacuation, but if one is ordered, authorities have divided Fargo into seven small sectors to plan it "in a managed way," Ternes said.
The city would use the Code Red and Emergency Broadcast Systems to contact residents will instructions on where they should go. The city's evacuation directives would likely send people to the central core of the city, which is Fargo's highest point. Ternes said it is almost impossible to be more specific at this time.
Fargo is building secondary dikes to protect the city in case the first line of defense fails. At a news conference this morning, Walaker stressed the contingency dikes are there for one purpose: to protect the city.
"We hope the water will never reach the contingency dikes," Walaker said, "but everybody has to take precautions." He reminded people to move their important belongings out of lower levels of homes; things like critical documents, photographs, and mementos.
Walaker said people on the wrong side of dikes will have to be sure to have cars ready on the other side.
"We do not people do go out and panic, because that will not solve anything," Walaker said. But Walaker told homeowners, "If the dike is breached, we need to know immediately so we can try to contain it," Walaker said. "Response time is extremely important."
The city says they are getting too many 911 calls from people who think they see dike failures. Only people who actually witness water gushing out of a dike are being told to call 911. Otherwise, those who see water on the other side of a dike should know that might only be from snow melt or rain. Those who aren't sure, and who want to report a possible dike issue, are asked to call 241-1545.
Copyright 2008 by Valley News Live
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