The Chamber is dedicated to providing you with the information you need to know about the 2011 spring flood. According to the National Weather Service’s March 25 forecast, Fargo Moorhead has a 50 percent chance of the Red River exceeding 40.5 feet, a 30 percent chance of it topping 41.8 feet and a 10 percent chance that it will go past 44.4 feet. The Red River’s high water mark came in 2009, when the river crested at 40.84 feet.

In preparation for the flood, the cities are preparing for sandbag deployment. The City of Moorhead will distribute sandbags to flood-affected property owners in all Neighborhood Zones starting at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 5th. Homeowners should continue to make preparations and be ready to construct sandbag dikes starting on Tuesday. Property owners should contact their Zone Leader or the City of Moorhead Call Center at (218) 299-5300 with any questions. Zone Leader contact information is available on the City of Moorhead Flood Information Website at www.cityofmoorhead.com/flood.

In Fargo, deployment should take about four days, starting with Belmont Park and River Drive residents Tuesday. The city will deliver approximately 425,000 bags per day for a total of 1.7 million bags during the four day period. To see the schedule, or learn more, visit the City of Fargo’s Web site.

We would not be as prepared as we are without the help of a whole host of fabulous volunteers. According to data collected by the City of Fargo:
- Approximately 12,800 volunteers passed through the doors of Sandbag Central.
- Volunteers worked a total of 47,295 hours. The average work time was 3.6 hours per sign-in.
- More than 325 cities were represented by volunteers, including 167 cities from Minnesota and 94 from North Dakota.
- Twenty-two of the 50 states were represented among the volunteers.

The Chamber is proud of its many members that participated in the sandbagging. Check out the list of great member firms who volunteered during regular business hours.

The sandbag goals may be met, but there’s still a need for volunteers. Currently FirstLink is looking for volunteers to help with light flood duties including call center volunteers, check-in table volunteers and bus guides. To learn more, call 701.476.4000.

Volunteers will also be needed to assist property owners with sandbag dikes. Volunteers are asked to report to the Volunteer Center at MSUM’s Nemzek Hall starting at 8 a.m. on April 1. Volunteers will be transported to locations throughout Moorhead to ensure resources are directed to where they’re most needed.

As the community prepares for another flood, we at The Chamber hope that you are getting the support and help you need. If you need advice about getting your house ready for the impending flood, check out this great information from NDSU Extension Service. Plus, don’t forget to check out our flood resources page. Let us know what you need to help weather this storm.

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