Washington - North Dakota breathed a slight sigh of relief
Sunday as the ice-laden Red River floodwaters dropped a little, but
officials warned that the waters remained at record highs and days of
work remained ahead to keep the city of Fargo from being overwhelmed.
A dike burst behind Fargos Oak Grove Lutheran School Sunday,
forcing the evacuation of 12 people and telling 'us the fight is not
over,' Fargo's mayor Dennis Walaker was quoted as saying by Bloomberg
news.
An early spring storm was expected to bring another 30 centimetres
of snow and more subfreezing temperatures to parts of the region
Monday, raising new worries of another flood crest when the snow
melts.
Walaker was still worried that 'theres a lot of water out there
to the south of us.' The river flows north into Canada.
Despite week-long subfreezing temperatures, volunteers worked
through rain and snow to fill and stack 3 million sandbags to build
up and strengthen dikes. But Walaker said workers could only relax
when they've filled another 500,000 bags to hold in reserve.
'Are we feeling better? Yes, we are, but is it over yet? No,' he
said.
The Red River in Fargo and the neighbouring city of Moorhead had
crested at 12.4 metres Saturday and dropped slightly, but still broke
the record set in 1897 and surpassed severe flooding in 1997, the
National Weather Service said.
The river remained more than 6 metres above flood stage.
More than 10,000 residents of the north central state's largest
metropolitan area, home to more than 100,000 people, evacuated
Friday. Two deaths are blamed on the floods, which left 62 people
injured, according to a North Dakota Department of Emergency Services
statement.
Forecasters warned the water level will remain high for many days
and could yet rise up again. Subfreezing temperatures of minus 14
degrees Celsius appeared to have slowed runoff into the river.
US President Barack Obama on Saturday praised the thousands of
volunteers who have filled sandbags to fight the rising waters.
'Even as we face an economic crisis which demands our constant
focus, forces of nature can also intervene in ways that create other
crises to which we must ... respond urgently,' he said.
'For the people of North and South Dakota and Minnesota who live
along rivers spilling over their banks, this is one such moment.'
Obama said federal officials were working with governors in each
state to offer assistance. The Department of Homeland Security and
the Federal Emergency Management Agency were coordinating
Washington's response.
USA
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