Minot, N.D., Waits for the Flood to Pass as River Levels Drop

The waters of the Souris or Mouse River continue to flow through, and over, the city of Minot, N.D. The crest of the record flooding has passed, but the waters are subsiding ever so slowly.

The Souris River gauges tell the story. At the Canadian border near Sherwood, the river has dropped over 2 feet. It is still 7 feet over flood stage. Just below the Lark Darling dam at Foxholm, the river is down a foot but is 10 feet above flood stage. The gauge at the Boy Scout bridge in Minot, Minot 4NW, shows the water level still above the previous record high but down a foot from the crest. In the heart of the city, the Broadway bridge, the river is down over a foot but remains 2 feet higher than the previous record. Levels are not projected to fall below that old record until after July 4.

Local officials in Minot are fighting the effects of the flooding on their water and sewer systems. Multiple water main breaks early in the week caused the North Hill water tower's levels to drop dangerously low. An existing boil water order changed to a no water use order as authorities attempt to locate the breaks and isolate them using the existing shut off valves. This is resulting, as the Minot Daily News reports, in loss of pressure and loss of water in various neighborhoods.

The North Dakota National Guard has brought in water purification equipment. One installation is supplying Trinity Hospital . The hospital has not flooded and is working with the medical community to provide health care services on both the north and south sides of the Souris River in Minot. A temporary emergency room has been established in a school on the north side.

Broadway, in the heart of Minot, is open for emergency traffic only. Authorities constructed a massive set of temporary dikes to keep this one north/south route open. The street is closed to civilian traffic because of the extreme danger; the water outside the dikes is 10 feet and more above the level of the street. Any breech would rapidly fill the street.

The 83 bypass is the sole north/south route open for general use. It is jammed with traffic much of the day. Local authorities are suggesting alternate routes that require some travel but travel times are less than those on the bypass because of the stop and go traffic.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is in Minot and taking information on claims. Due to the travel problems, FEMA officials are meeting claimants in restaurants and parking lots to verify the data taken by telephone or on the Internet.

The residents of Minot are just waiting. When the water recedes below the levees and dikes and they are inspected and repaired, the pumping out can begin. That point is still weeks away. Until then, they wait.