Ten’s of thousands defend sand bag dikes in Fargo

River reaches 22 feet above worst level, 2 more and massive flooding sure

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, March 27, 2009 4 PM ET
with story from CNN

The Red River is now 22 feet above it’s record level and 42 feet above normal. The mayor declares “If we go down we are going down fighting.” Ten’s of thousands of volunteers are packing sandbags are the Bison Dome, transporting them the river bank and packing them in 15 F. weather with light snow. It’s literally a fight for the city and homes of North Dakota residents. CNN film shows the river almost up to the lower span of the bridge with cars and trucks paradoxically crossing as normal. The next few hours are pivotal as the cold weather appears to be slowing down the rate if rise in the river.

The risk is that some of the small breaks in South Fargo will widen and the water rush in behind the dikes. There have been breaks but stalwart citizens have rushed to plug them. Fargo is a community that hold together in good times and bad. The residents are primarily descendants of Scandinavian settlers from the late 1800’s. Typically they manifest a quiet but reserved positive attitude built on a century of carving their destiny from the American Great Plains. They have a sense of purpose and this flood will unite them as every crisis has in the past.