Flood Report #6 3/26/09 11:40 PM

Today was mostly bad. The city traffic was a mess as getting to Moorhead and back became like a Southern California commute. Traffic in each town was equally miserable in many places. The NWS raised the crest prediction to 42 feet. Evacuations are occurring in both Moorhead and Fargo. Even one of the hospitals is moving patients as a precautionary measure, though the hospital is staying open. A Coast Guard helicopter had to evacuate people from poorly placed Briarwood, ND. Concordia College is closed for at least ten days and is sending students away so they can shut off the water and sewer. Oh yeah, once the river crests it may stay that high from 3 - 7 days.

Government, contractors and volunteers continue to do remarkable work, but the water isn't cooperating. The big hope right now is that the cold temps will slow down the water and make the crest prediction too high. However, the cities aren't counting on that and that is the only thing to do. Places that are the most vulnerable along the river are being evacuated. Moorhead High School is now a Red Cross shelter. I'm not sure where the shelters will be for Fargo. I offered my room to people I know in the evacuation zone in Moorhead, but they already had a reservation at a hotel.

My house and neighborhood is an oasis amongst all this. There is an earthen dike a couple of blocks from here towards the river, but no one in my immediate neighborhood has any need to build sandbag dikes. Because of this, I've also offered my house as a place to come for a rest away from it all, but the problem is being able to get here. Tomorrow the city is blocking off major artery roads to sandbagging operation trucks, etc. only. They are doing this to avoid the delays they had today. I've not heard this in Moorhead, but I wouldn't be surprised if they do something similar where needed.

I did venture out a bit today due to a need to run some errands. I stuck to streets that weren't overwhelmed and drove through the unplowed side streets as much as possible. I'm now holed up at home until I'm due to volunteer at the call center ("Flood Central") on Saturday night. I think I've plotted a way to get there since the normal way won't be available to me. I'll do my best.

The tunnel vision of flood watching was only broken by good news on my stepmom's hip replacement (Yeah, Virginia!) and the unexpected victory by the Missouri Tiger basketball team. Otherwise all my focus is within this part of the Red River Valley.

I still find facebook a great tool. I can post news. I can talk to folks in the area. I can even talk to friends far away.

So tomorrow will be more of the same. Following news online, on the radio (KFGO is the place to listen) and on the local TV news. Occasionally I will notice that other TV and radio channels continue in a parallel universe where petty partisan squabbles are overblown, basketball rules, and reality TV and bad sitcoms continue. I will try to do a little work that I have here with me, but it is very hard to focus on that right now. MSUM hired a new dean for my college today and I'm not sure anyone noticed. I assume she's been informed she got the job, but I suspect she went right back to fighting the flood.

I sign off by giving you the knowledge that the next official recording of the river level will be over 40 feet. The 11:15 pm measure was 39.92 feet.