by Michelle San Miguel/KFYR-TV
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been looking at dikes around Bismarck and Mandan.Although the river is quickly rising, the Corps says they`re confident the dikes that have been constructed within the past week are sturdy and high enough to protect Bismarck and Mandan.
Within the past week, dikes have been constructed from clay, Hesco barriers and even trapbags- all to help protect Bismarck and Mandan from the flood.
"We`ve got the best flood fighters in the United States here today and they`re telling us these are highly professional dikes that we can count on them," said Senator Kent Conrad. "Obviously the unknown is if we get another extraordinary weather event."
Western North Dakota isn`t the only area being affected by the rising Missouri River. But Senator Conrad said a lack of resources won`t be an issue if dikes need to be added to down the road.
"We have clay that`s right here. You know, there are other parts of the country that don`t have clay readily available. We do so the place where, you know, we may run out nationally is hesco barriers but frankly clay is better anyway and so if we add to these dikes we`d use clay that`s available here," Conrad said.
Col. Bob Ruch, with the Corps said, "We`ve had several comments from the experts who have come over from Fargo who have been flood fighting years on end and said these are some of the best levees they`ve seen so I`m really confident right now that we`re doing a good job with what we can get in."
The Corps says if dikes need to be added to, it would take between 24 to 48 hours. And since it takes 36 hours for the water from the Garrison Dam to reach Bismarck and Mandan, the cities feel confident they can add to their dikes with enough time.
"Once the dikes are complete, the National Guard will be walking them constantly and monitoring them, looking for any breach. If there is a breach, they`re gonna have sandbags and other materials at their standby just to place in them," Mandan Mayor Tim Helbling said.
The Corps says their top priority right now is public safety. Officials say now is not a time for people to be out by the river and much less on the river. Colonel Ruch said the worst case scenario would be loss of life.
WASHBURN, N.D. (AP) - McLean County officials are telling people in homes south of Washburn and cabins along the Missouri River to leave, as the river swollen by heavy rain and melting snow continues to
rise. More than 40 homes are affected. The Bismarck Tribune reports that campers also have been evacuated from the Western North Dakota 4-H Camp near Washburn. The Fort Mandan Historic Site near Washburn also is being threatened by floodwaters. Lewis and Clark Fort Mandan Foundation staff and volunteers have been working since Tuesday building a levee around the visitor center. Workers inside have been moving things including exhibit items to higher ground. The fort is a reconstruction of the one built by explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.
Source : MSNBC