Dilworth woman arrested for driving on emergency dike
March 30, 2009
A Dilworth women was arrested before midnight Sunday in Fargo for driving on an emergency dike.
Fargo police arrested a 49 year old Dilworth woman after she drove her van along side the dike at Lindenwood Drive on 17th Avenue South until the road was completely covered by the dike. The woman then attempted to drive on to the top of the dike, but was unable to make it to the top of the dike with her van.
The woman was stopped by Cass County Sheriff personnel who observed the woman while patrolling the dike. The held the woman at the scene until Fargo police officers arrived.
Engineers examined the dike and determined it had not been damaged.
Fargo police Captain Tod Dahle said that had the woman made it over the dike, she would have very likely ended up in the icy water of the Red River.
“The likelihood of serious injury or death was pretty high,” he said. “You wouldn’t last very long in that water right now.”
The Dilworth woman was arrested for drunken driving and for operating a vehicle on the dike.
No school till Thursday
March 29, 2009
Children young and old are rejoicing as Dilworth announced earlier today that school will not resume until at the earliest Thursday.
Dilworth announced that all classes and activities have been canceled until Wednesday. Further classes and activities may be canceled as well, but an announcement will be made Wednesday.
Oakport home lost to fire
March 28, 2009
Volunteers from Valley Water Rescue watch as a home burns in Oakport Township.
A fire was reported at 5704 Elm Street, just off of Wall Street about 3:00 pm.
Fargo Fire Department was dispatched, but upon arrival, they were unable to reach the structure so were only able to observe.
Dilworth Fire was called later to relieve Fargo Fire from the scene.
According to Fargo Fire Captain Terry Wagner, the home was fully engulfed when they arrived.
“I actually could see flames for quite a distance,” Captain Wagner said
The smoke and flames made it difficult to even see the home when they arrived. The home is owned by Bonnie and Jim Myers who were not home when the fire was reported.
The home was a complete loss, but no other structures were damaged in the immediate area.
Oakport Residents forced to leave homes
March 27, 2009
Many of the residents of the 550 homes in the Oakport Township are expected to leave today.
“We want people to get out,” Greg Anderson, chairman of the Oakport Township Board, said Thursday night.
At this point, officials are uncertain how many residents have left.
Clay County Sheriff Bill Bergquist urged all of the Oakport residents to evacuate. Of special concern ar those residents living west of a coulee that runs through the township. The Red River is rising rapidly and the Sheriff is concerned residents will be cuts off as water overtakes the roads there.
Several streets in Oakport were under water yesterday.
Bergquist also recommended that residents of Georgetown, north of Oakport, evacuate because of the rising Red.
Currently officials in Oakport were optimistic that their intense sandbagging earlier this week would protect them from the worst of this year’s flood. Higher than expected flood crest predictions have forced homeowners to re-consider their plans on Wednesday and Thursday.
Sandbagging continued on Thursday in accordance to the higher crest predictions. The main concern as of late Thursday was how to get sandbaggers to Oakport. The area has limited access and is congested with vehicles carrying diking material.
Anderson was unsure of the results of the sandbagging effort on Thursday.
“We made the effort, and we’re not giving up,” he said.
The houses and possessions being left behind “is just stuff,” he said. “Our families are what’s important.”
DGF Schools may close next week
March 27, 2009
With the Fargo and Moorhead schools both announcing that they are closing, Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton is also evaluating the situation and is expected to make a decision this Sunday.
“It’s very possible we won’t begin right away Monday,” said Superintendent Randy Bruer. “We’re kind of in a holding pattern.”
The decision will come after the district gets a better idea of what the transportation looks like. Many Clay County roads are under water or possibly washed out. Depending on evacuations it is possible that schools could be converted to shelters for a short time as well.
“Plan for the worse”
March 26, 2009
Officials of the Oakport Township are urging residents to move vulnerable individuals (young and elderly) to safer higher ground.
Clay County Sheriff Bill Bergquist and authorities are asking for voluntary evacuations in Georgetown, Minnesota. Of specific concern are any vulnerable individuals who are still there.
The authorities rescued one family of four from the town Wednesday night, Bergquist said.
Residents have not given up the fight in Oakport Township. Clay County Commissioner Kevin Campbell said many homes will likely be cut off by water, so there’s a sense of urgency to get some residents to higher, drier ground.
“Our plan is to get the vulnerable out,” Campbell said.
“If you have someone who is sick, if you’ve got young children, you really need to find another place for them,” he said.
If you evacuate Authorities are advising that people should leave a large sign in their window letting authorities know:
- Contact numbers where the residents can be reached.
- Whether the home’s drainsare plugged.
- Whether the home’s gas is shut off.
Oakport desperatefor help as more homes lost
March 26, 2009
Several homes were lost to flooding in the Oakport Township north of Moorhead overnight. The township is in desperate need for volunteers this morning, township Chairman Greg Anderson said at 7:45 a.m.
Volunteers will need to carpool to the area and volunteers will need to park off-street to allow sand trucks to get through, he said.
Two homes in in a subdivision were lost overnight to flooding and several others are also flooded as the Red River rose past 38 feet.
“My guess is if we get away with 50 (homes), it’ll be a miracle,” he said. The Oakport Township has about 550 homes and is located directly north of Moorhead.
Evacuation plans “just in case”
March 25, 2009
Officials are reminding residents to be prepared for evacuation if necessary. The chances of evacuation being necessary are not high, but real if the current flood fighting measures fail to stop the rising floodwaters.
Officials are still working on official contingency plans so none have yet to be released to the public.
Moorhead has recruited a team from the Twins Cities to help them design their evacuation plan and are expected to unveil the plans today.
It is likely that area schools may be primary shelters if necessary according to some authorities.
Some homes have been evacuated with the help of boats, in rural Clay County. If a widespread evacuation of Oakport Township is eminent, the Dilworth Community Center will likely be the shelter, according to officials.
Authorities plan to use warning sirens and the “Code Red” phone system to alert residents if evacuation is necessary. People will then need to turn to local media for more information.
Officials requesting that people sign up for the Code Red alert system. Some people were reporting earlier that it may take two weeks for the number to register, but officials want residents to know that this is false.
“If you give us a phone number tonight, we’ll make sure it’s in there tonight,” said Moorhead’s City Manager Mike Redlinger.
How to sign up for Code Red
Anyone interested in registering for Code Red alerts, go to the following Web site and follow the appropriate links:
- Clay County residents go to www.co.clay.mn.us.
The automated notification system can be used to inform about specific neighborhood emergencies.
One of Doug Stensgard’s dogs, Annie, looks out Tuesday over what used to be a 5-acre yard and an outbuilding that is now flooded by the rising Red River in Fargo. Stensgard built an earthen and sandbag dike around his home in the hope of holding back the floodwaters. Associated Press
Dilworth continues flood fight
March 24, 2009
The Dilworth maintenance crew was hard at work last night keeping up with the steady rain. To this point there efforts have been successful in keeping the sanitary system from backing up into residents home.
Maintenance crews have been working hard the last 48 hours making sure that the city systems do not become inundate by the increase in water. The city is asking that all residents make sure their sump pumps are directed outside to the yard or street and not into the sanitary/sewer system.
With more snow and rain expected it is important that residents restrict water usage and keep sump pumps pointed into yards and streets.
Dilworth flood/sandbagging efforts.
The Dilworth Fire Department assisted the flood efforts, working through the evening making sandbags. By 10:00 PM the department and more then a dozen volunteers had bagged several thousand sandbags. The sandbagging efforts will be continued at the old Minnesota DOT shop to the west of the Dilworth Police Department.
Dilworth officials urge caution
March 23, 2009
Mayor Keith Coalwell has asked Dilworth residents to restrict their water use to help avoid straining the Moorhead system.
“We’re hooked into Moorhead’s wastewater facility,” he said. “We’re not having any problems right now,” he said Sunday night. “All our pumps are working.”
As the flood forecast gets worse, Moorhead’s Oakport Township is desperately trying prepare. Officials there and in Moorhead have issued pleas for volunteers to help battle possibly the worst flood in the region’s history.
“This is a real panic for all of us,” said Moorhead Mayor Mark Voxland.
Although sand baggers were busy in both Moorhead and Oakport on Sunday, officials said volunteers are still very much needed.
“I wish it was only urgent. It’s worse than that,” said Oakport board chairman Greg Anderson.
Clay County Sheriff Bill Bergquist reported that approximately 30 roads in the county were closed Sunday because they were in danger of washing out.
Sheriff Berquist warned that no one should drive on a flooded road, for fear of vehicles being swept into the water if the road collapses.
Volunteers in Moorhead are being asked to gather at Nemzek Fieldhouse on the campus of Minnesota State University Moorhead.
Moorhead used the city’s Code Red phone system on Saturday pleading for more assistance after relatively few people showed up at the Volunteer center Saturday morning.
Sheriff Berquist said on lookers have been a problem in rural areas, and he warned Sunday that they will not be tolerated.
Officials will also be tough on anyone found boating in flooded areas, as the wakes from the boats can damage dikes.
“If you’re on the river, you’re going to be arrested,” said Bergquist.
