Things are bad in Fargo, and they are going to get worse:

New estimate raises ND flood higher than sandbags. I've been following this story very closely, because my sister lives in Fargo. To preserve her privacy, I won't talk about her job, but she--like everyone--is involved in dealing with the flooding. Long and short, the worst is yet to come. She told me that co-workers who live in areas that are not considered part of the flood plain are getting water in their houses. Keep in mind that these people don't have flood insurance because they were told they weren't in the flood plain. Long and short, many of them are going to lose their homes and will have no insurance to replace them. More pressing is that the flooding is coming at the worst possible time--it's still unbelievably cold in Fargo, and, as she told me, there is no way anyone can wade through this water and live or keep their legs. Think about that. Fortunately, her workplace is pretty secure and has a strong dike nearby, so she may have to live there for a while. So, if you believe in prayer, now would be a good time to say a prayer for the people of Fargo, North Dakota, Moorhead, Minnesota, and the surrounding communities. For the nonbelievers, send good wishes. The local government in Fargo has been exemplary, but they are going to need a world of help dealing with the aftermath...whenever that comes.

Comments

[Tengrain]

Sweet mother of dog, I'm sorry to hear about this. Best wishes to your sister and all her friends and family out there.

Regards,

Tengrain

[JDM]

What TG said.

[dguzman]

Oh no--I thought they had decided to build up their little dike higher. Well, shit. Good luck to your sister and her friends, and I hope that somehow they're spared from this inundation.

[gmb]

Tengrain: She's staying put. Fortunately her work place has a fifth floor...just in case. It's going to be bad. She was really busy today, probably moving things to safer floors and sandbagging. At least she and her co-workers are near a two foot thick, cement dike, but it sounds like the river may top it. Crossing my fingers.
Thanks, JDM.
dguzman: Today they were building a ring of sandbags around the building to keep any water out that tops the 42 foot dike. They do have emergency generators, which is great given that the temperature today was 12 degrees, but with the wind chill felt like -1. Let's hope no one gets caught in the water, because that's a death trap. GMB