North Dakota braces for massive flood
Thursday, 26 March 2009 14:43Residents in the US state of North Dakota are bracing for the arrival of what forecasts suggest could be the biggest flood in the region in 100 years.
Thousands of volunteers are working to fend off the surging waters, as work crews try to raise dikes to 13m before Saturday, when the Red River is expected to crest at 12.5m.
Wet wintry weather has doused the region this week, with a heavy blizzard yesterday knocking out power and dumping sleet and freezing rain, making many roads impassable.
US President Barack Obama issued a federal disaster declaration for 34 counties and two Indian reservations as the entire state remained under a major flood warning.
Low-lying homes across the state have been evacuated as rivers and creeks break their banks, although damage has largely been restricted to water in basements.
Several bridges and roads are already closed due to flooding as an unusually heavy snowpack begins to melt on top of land that has not yet fully thawed.
More snow was forecast to fall on the Red River valley in the coming days and rain could worsen flood conditions by the weekend, the weather service predicted.
In 1897 the Red River reached a record 12.2m in Fargo while a massive flood in 1997 sent waters to 12m.
