The Red River became NASA's Image of the day. Here is a satellite image of the Red River on Saturday! COOL!

Flood Video #9

Blizzard today. We got about 6 inches yesterday and more today. We haven't gotten our mail since Friday. Paper is hit or miss depending on the weather and no milk delivery since Tues.

I an struggling with the fact that I might not ever go back to work. Defeatist attitude? Sure, but we were told yesterday Easter. The dike won't come down till the river hits 36 ft. Ok, but that was before they predicted the river could crest again at 37 ft to 40 ft again. So does part of the dike come down so we can work or do they leave it up for a month? The second crest could come mid April.

The kids are doing well and for the most part keep themselves pretty occupied. They play Wii in the afternoon and have been playing with their Ello set. Every room is trashed and I have no idea how I will be ready for Easter or Katie's confirmation at the end of the month. Stir crazy has a whole new meaning here.

Chris is home from work today as all non-essential businesses have been asked to close. Oh and then there's that blizzard outside. GRRRRR!

GRRRRR! So today marks the umpteenth day I have been stuck in the house. Chris went back to work and thankfully doesn't have to use his PTO for fighting the flood last week. YEAH! We're gonna need that. I found out today that we probably won't be going back to the club till Easter. Yep 2 more weeks of unemployment. Double GRRRRR! The city won't take the dike down that is in our parking lot till the river hits 36 ft. Well we are going to get up to 12 inches of snow today and tomorrow and they are expecting another crest of 37 ft mid-April. We are sooooooooo screwed. I mean at least $$ is coming in but hard to think about fundraising and saving money for the kids to go to TN when I'm not working. Oh well we will see what we all think at the parent meeting we are planning this week.

I did get out of the house for an hour and a half today as we took Meghan to get her hair cut for Locks of Love. It looks sooooo awesome and she is extremely happy! Pictures She loosk so grown up now. scary!

Not much else going on. Chris will probably stay home due to the blizzard. They are worried about the winds creating waves and knocking down sandbags. I dont' think this is ever going to end! lol

Chris and I played cribbage yesterday. Haven't done that in ages. He thinks he is awesome and can play so much better than I. I am only one game behind him. What a dork.

Anyway still hanging in there. What an adventure and long from over. Should take 2 months to clean up the mess in town. hahaha!

Flood Pictures

New Problem

Now this is a good problem to have. As you know both Meghan and Katie are in Destination Imagination. Well their tournament was canceled this weekend because of the flooding in this area. This tournament was the State Affiliate tournament and would decide who would go to Globals in TN, May 20-23rd. Well since we didn't hold our tournament due to uncontrollable circumstances it has been decided that all ND that can and want to have an invitation to Global Tournament! WOW!

What an incredible opportunity for these kids. In talking with the parents of Katie's team, 2 have opted out for other reasons and the remaining three and strongly leaning toward going provided we can come up with the resources to go. It would cost a little over $800 per person to go on this trip. Yes the team would be down to 3 girls from 5, but the beauty of the Improv challenge is that anything can happen. And there are 55 more days to work with them.

Hoping to hear more from Meghan's team today. It would be a shame for them not to go as well. They have 6 team members and one has opted out. They could re-write for 5, maybe even 4. We shall see.

In terms of the River? Well it is down to 40.4 ft and slowly declining. There was a dike breach last night at Oak Grove school up north and at least 2 of their buildings were flooded. We got out papers today so we can catch up on the coverage. Chris continues to take walks and check things out. We as the neighborhood all take responsibility.

Today I guess I will be working on this trip and seeing if we can make it work. Fundraising is not my forte, but it will be needed. The kids will need to get together as much $ as they can. We will go to PTA for support as well. Any help would be great. I just fear Katie's team will go and Meghan's won't and Meghan will be devastated. *sigh*

Flood pictures from today.

More video:
Fargo Flood #4

Fargo Flood #5- in this video they talk about digging up the Centennial soccer fields. This is the girls' school

Yeah!

Prediction line is going down. The map now says we have already crested! 40.82 ft! WOW!

Saturday

HMMM Saturday huh? Hard to remember what day it is now. haha!
The trucks and backhoes worked all night and they are still out there now building our dike. The river has slowed and has even dropped a tad to 40.76 ft but they are still predicting that 42 ft crest. We shall see.

The boys fell asleep before 9 last night and Chris and I actually got to watch a movie and were in bed by 10:30. That was nice. We may let the kids go out and play in the yard today since there is no one working anymore and that dike is pretty much done.

However we feel pretty cut off as we have no paper or mail service to us now and not sure how much road there is left in our street to drive out on. lol Not that anything is open for us to go to.

Chris and I are going to take some pics of me by the huge dike this afternoon. YOu won't believe how big it is.

Cheers!

Videos of the F-M area

Fargo Video #1

Fargo Video #2

Fargo Video #3

Sandbagging video

Just click on each link and it will take you to You Tube to see the video. Our neighborhood is shown in many of the frames.

These are awesome!

Chris took these from a couple of the houses he helped dike this week.
Flood Pictures

This is at 40.86 ft. River is slowing. We feel good.

Damn straight we are confident! Screw you Red River!

Fargo's mayor still has confidence in flood fight
Posted in: Valley News Live Local/Regional, Valley News Live Local/Regional Mobile, Valley News Live Flood Watch By Daron Selvig, Valley News LiveMar 27, 2009 - 9:38:17 AM
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"Am I confident? I have nothing but confidence," Mayor Dennis Walaker said at a news conference Friday morning. "We've already played the fear card, to some extent."Fargo's mayor says the city's flood dikes will remain built to 43 feet. He says he is confident that level will be enough to contain the Red River's crest.
The river is now predicted to crest at 42 feet Saturday night.
"Am I confident? I have nothing but confidence," Mayor Dennis Walaker said at a news conference Friday morning. "We've already played the fear card, to some extent."
Walaker said the main focus in the flood fight up until this point has been to expend every possible effort to build the earthen dikes. Since that's been completed, for the most part, crews will be patroling the dikes, checking for leaks, and reenforcing them when needed.
However, there is still a great need for volunteers at Sandbag Central. The city is asking people who live near the Dome to walk there, not drive, to cut down on traffic, so trucks carrying sandbags have a clear path. The city is also telling people who don't live near the dome not to go there.
The city is also asking people who are helping neighbors sandbag to walk to the homes in need, instead of drive.
Around 2:00 am, Fargo issued a mandatory evacuation of all homes east of 4th Street South between South River Road and Lindenwood Drive. The city said it was a precautionary measure after finding a crack in the dike. Engineers will be working on the dike today.

Stupid people!

CNN journalist, others arrested on Fargo dikes
Posted in: Valley News Live Top Headlines, Valley News Live Local/Regional Mobile, Valley News Live Flood Watch By The Associated Press - FargoMar 27, 2009 - 12:12:08 PM
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Fargo Police Sgt. Ross Renner didn't have many details of the journalist's arrest, but said the man appeared to be taking pictures at the time. APA CNN journalist and seven other people have been arrested for standing on top of sandbag levees in flood areas in the Fargo area.
Fargo Police Sgt. Ross Renner says officers made the arrests Wednesday and Thursday after seeing people climb up on the dikes.
Renner says police will continue to arrest anyone they see on top of a dikes out of concern for people's safety and the integrity of the levees. He says it's likely all those arrested have been released.
A CNN spokesman said the cameraman who was arrested was shooting video at the time and was unaware of any restrictions on climbing the dikes. The journalist was released on bail.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

River is at 40.66 feet. And Schools have canceled through April 3rd!

More pictures of our situation. We had pasta for lunch and some french donut thing our neighbor made for us. Starts with a B but I know I can't spell it right now. Very good. Beneights???

This pictures are of our clay dike being built. It will be done soon. Kids are playing Wii this afternoon. Aaron has a cold and cough now and his schedule is SOOOO out of whack. We are all out of whack. River is slowing down so that is good. Chris went to the store for more food and some lady was bitching cause the drive thru pick up wasn't available. Dumb bitch! Go home and fight the flood.

I have been keeping up with my friends and the country club family on Facebook. What a God send that has been. The support there has been great. We have all been checking in with each other.

Anyway... Check out the Pictures

AHHHH A brand new day! Our secondary dike is nearly complete. They will finish it once everyone is out of the screwed zone. Some are choosing to stay, but most are leaving.

This morning we will pack the van and finish moving the important stuff. Treadmill is lofted but could end up being a loss. What can you do. Chris and I were up to 12:30 last night. He was sandbagging, I was moving stuff.

The river is at 40.37 ft which is a new record. I mean if we are going to flood let's break a record, no?

Dennis Walaker has issued evacuation of two South Fargo residents and Moorhead had evacated two parts of their city.

Looks to be another long day, but we will keep fighting.

The Lewis family came over and Ryan and Noelle came out where we were sitting and started hugging each other. Then Noelle says "We love each other!" Ryan - Yeah " we love each other!" It was a riot! This went on and on till finally we sent them downstairs to run in the empty basement. OH boy!

Cheers!

We are hanging in there. Chris is out helping to dike to 44 ft now. And thank GOD the clay has started to arrive and they are building our secondary dike. We have a place to go if we need to leave...our bags are packed other than toiletries. We will pack the van tomorrow just in case. But for now we are staying put and will wait and see. If the Lewis's across the street decide to send the kids and Lhonda, then I will leave too and Chris and Bob will stay to fight it off.

Meritcare has decided to evacuate and parts of Fargo and Moorhead are being evacuated as well. Majors roads are being closed tomorrow so that the trucks can get back and forth. And they are going back to the FCC to dike it to 44 ft as well.

Keep the prayers going. We are going to make it through. Oh and all the Girl Scout cookies we have left to deliver and in suitcases and on the 2nd floor. haha!

I don't know what to think now.

SHOCKING DEVELOPMENT: Red River crest in Fargo raised to 42 feet, could even hit 43 feetIn a stunning blow, the National Weather Service has raised the crest prediction to between 41 and 42 feet and potentially as high as 43 feet for the Red River at Fargo-Moorhead by Saturday.


In a stunning blow, the National Weather Service has raised the crest prediction to between 41 and 42 feet and potentially as high as 43 feet for the Red River at Fargo-Moorhead by Saturday.
The weather service said the crest could continue for three to seven days.
The service’s Web site shows the river hitting 42 feet late Saturday. The current record is 40.1 feet in 1897.
Fargo and Moorhead had been racing to add another foot to their dikes, trying to build them up to 43 feet to prepare for a crest of 41 feet by Saturday, after the weather service bumped up the crest from 40 feet on Tuesday.
The crest, once it reaches Fargo, could continue for three to seven days, according to the weather service.

OMG!

We are now expecting a crest of 42 feet on Saturday night.

Almost there...

We are almost there. Volunteers have spent all day trying to reinforce the primary dike in our neighborhood and the secondary has not been built yet. All the sand bags we saw this morning went to the homes that will be between the two dikes and to the first dike. The secondary will be clay. And we are praying they start that tonight as the river is already over 39 feet.

All the furniture is out of the basement and I have packed clothes for the kids and I if we need to evacuate. I do not want to leave Chris here, we all stay or we all go. We shall see who wins that battle if the time comes.

I have been copying pictures off Facebook today of other neighborhoods in Fargo Moorhead. It is scary. Some of our friends have left or have sent their kids out of here. Our GM at the club climbed the dike to check on things there and was told he better leave or the police would arrest him. Stupid.

So the crest is almost here. Will just wait and see now. We are prepared as we can be, so we will just hope for the best.

More news

I have added more Flood Pictures to my Shutterfly Share site. Some were taken last night and some were taken this morning by Chris. We have to be extremely careful as they are arresting anyone on the dike that shouldn't be on the dike. And we don't need that! They are building a secondary dike down our street. We are the second house off of Rose Creek Dr in our cul de sac. The street was lined this morning with pallets of sandbags, so I guess that is what they are using for this dike. Last night we were told it would be a clay dike, but they they may not have enough for that. However I think maybe they decided to use the clay along River Dr, since last night residents there were told that the city would not be building a secondary dike for them because supplies were short. However we get our dike I will be happy.

You can read up on our Flood flight at the Forum's website. I think you have to register, but it is free. Evacuation plans should be out today or tomorrow. I will get some bags packed in case, but we plan to go down with the ship. Chris said last night he won't leave till the Mayor tells him and that seems to be the case for most of our neighborhood. These are our homes and we will fight as hard as we can for them. We got lots of peanut butter and bread just in case. hahaha!

Anyway off for another day. Kids are going to be watching a lot of TV this weekend. lol

DI tournament was cancelled!!!!

Yeah I don't turn out to be the bad guy after all! I just emailed the DI director and told him Centennial wasn't coming. He emailed back to say they canceled the tournament and are looking at ways for the kids to compete so that they can still send teams to Globals in May. YEAH!!!!! Our kids will still have a chance to do their challenges. Thank GOD!

Yeah! We are getting a secondary dike!

Chris and our neighbor Bob went to the neighborhood flood meeting tonight and found out that they are putting a secondary dike down Rose Creek Drive. Thank God! This will be a second barrier to protect our house if the first dike should break. However in 97 they had 3 weeks to get that secondary dike up and in 09 they have 2 days. They may however use the Hesco containers instead of using clay.

The sand bag dike isn't quite done yet. They are almost there and starting again in the morning. There is one house that has a walk out basement and they are really having a hard time getting the dike solid there. A neighbor told me they are talking about getting another 5000 sandbags and diking from their patio door to the main dike in hopes of bracing it better. So Chris is going out in the morning to #1 snowblow, #2 go take a bunch of pictures of the dike and water, and #3 sand bag till noon.

And lastly, I made the decision tonight to not send the Centennial teams to their DI tournament this weekend. It is in Casselton and the DI directors are not canceling it. We could drive out there sure, but no one wants to be away from their houses on Sat when the river crests. I don't think it is safe, and I would hate to see something happen while we were out there. Further more DI is a school sponsored event and Fargo Public schools are cancelled including all after school activities. This would include DI. So we will do a big party for then in May and then there's always next year! Did I say that????

SO off to bed, Bob and Chris are moving furniture tomorrow. We have plenty of bread and PB and I will post more pictures tomorrow. God Bless!

New crest level!

They are now predicting the Red River to crest at 41 ft! All dikes are being raised to 43 ft. They are predicting the crest to hit at 1 pm Saturday.

Holy crap!

Chris just called and told me the engineers came out and want the Rose Creek dike raised to 43 feet. It is at 42 now and has plastic on it already. They are taking off the plastic putting down a layer of 3-2-1 sandbags and the laying the plastic down again. Yikes!

Finally some logic

Just got the call that the club is closed till further notice. Guess it looks like a warzome over there. Hoping I can stay on unemployment. I think I should be able to, but I don't know the logistics. Let's hope I can.

On other news... Di tournament still on. WTF!

More news

'Big push' under way Major effort needed today in flood fightFargo officials are calling for another massive volunteer effort from area residents to get sandbag dikes finished by tonight in backyards threatened by rising water in drains and creeks.
By: By Mike Nowatzki and Helmut Schmidt, INFORUM


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

Volunteers build up a wall of sandbags Tuesday along the amphitheater at Trollwood Performing Arts School in south Moorhead. The stage was moved from north Fargo to south Moorhead to bypass spring floods, but because of the rainy fall season the current landscaping is not far enough along to prevent flooding. Carrie Snyder / The Forum

Fargo officials are calling for another massive volunteer effort from area residents to get sandbag dikes finished by tonight in backyards threatened by rising water in drains and creeks.
With cold weather expected to follow overnight rain and snow, Mayor Dennis Walaker said at a news conference Tuesday that the window of opportunity to build strong dikes is small, but doable.
“(Today’s) our big push,” Walaker said, adding that he wants all areas of the city protected to a flood stage of 42 feet by the end of the day.
“We’ve made a tremendous amount of progress on the south side of Fargo. We need one more day,” Walaker said.
“We need to go another 24 hours” of delivering and making sandbags, he said. “We need a really good day.”
Dike and levee construction in most of the vulnerable areas of Fargo was 70 percent or more finished Tuesday, city figures indicated. But some spots, such as along Drain 27 in southwest Fargo, and North Terrace in the northside Oak Grove area need to be addressed today, officials said.
“We’ve had two great days in a row,” Walaker said in calling for another big effort. “The confidence comes with what we saw today.”
If sandbagging takes too long, overnight temperatures in the teens through the weekend could “create havoc” in placing sandbags, Walaker said. If there is a positive with the cold, it will slow the flow of the spring melt and the rise of the river, he said.
City engineers expected to inspect all dikes overnight to see where they needed to be bolstered, with sandbagging starting in earnest again today at 8 a.m.
Walaker said a contingency plan in case of dike failures will be released Thursday, as will an emergency evacuation plan. He did not elaborate on those plans.
The river at Fargo surpassed major flood stage of 30 feet at about 8 a.m. and had risen to 32.8 feet by 10:15 p.m. Tuesday. The National Weather Service’s Web site shows the river hitting a crest of 40 feet at 7 a.m. Sunday.
Thousands of college, high school and middle school students responded to desperate pleas for volunteers Tuesday in Fargo and Moorhead. They passed sandbags so quickly in spots in Fargo and Moorhead that at times they outstripped the ability of officials to get finished bags or bags and sand to them, Walaker said.
“The kids did fantastic,” he said.
North Dakota State University President Joseph Chapman said there won’t be school today or Thursday so students and staff can continue to volunteer in the flood fight.
Fargo middle and high school students will also be allowed to continue sandbagging, said Dan Huffman, assistant superintendent for business services. Huffman said more than 2,100 students volunteered Tuesday.
Fargo Oak Grove Lutheran School students will also be joining the flood fight again today.
About 700 to 800 students from Hatton and Grand Forks, N.D., also volunteered to sandbag Tuesday.
In addition, about 800 North Dakota Army and Air National Guard members were taking part in the flood fight on the Fargo side of the Red River, and hundreds more were working on the Minnesota side.
So far, Fargo volunteers have made 1.3 million of the 2 million sandbags the city needs, said city Enterprise Director Bruce Grubb. He said sandbag-making at the Fargodome and the city’s garbage facility will continue 24 hours a day until the goal is met.
“We’re diking where we’ve never diked before,” said Fargo City Engineer Mark Bittner.
Fargo is looking at building contingency levees near City Hall, the Oak Grove neighborhood, at South River Road to protect the water plant, River Drive south of 32nd Avenue South to about 40th Avenue South, and along Rose Creek south of 40th Avenue, Bittner said.
Officials were encouraged that the Red River at Wahpeton, N.D., appeared headed for a crest of about 18 feet, which would be almost 1½ feet lower than the 1997 crest.
National Weather Service meteorologist Dan Riddle said the river at Wahpeton barely rose from 17.49 feet to 17.50 feet from 8 to 9 a.m. As of 9 p.m. it had fallen to 17.3 feet.
Still a major concern for Fargo, Riddle said, is water from the Wild Rice River at Abercrombie, which was at 27.43 feet at 9:15 p.m. – just over 17 feet above flood stage – and is projected to hit a record 29 feet Thursday morning.
Fargo Police Chief Keith Ternes asked motorists to yield to truck drivers who are transporting sandbags, and also to slow down to avoid sandbags that have fallen off trucks into the roadway. He also asked residents with non-emergency questions not to call 911.
In the Oak Creek and Meadow Creek and Rose Creek areas of south Fargo on Tuesday, lines of middle school, high school and college students snaked from streets, through side and backyards roiled with churned-up muck, passing sandbags to build dikes against flooding expected as the drains to the Red River start filling.
Preston Brekhus, 15, a Fargo South Campus II student, was covered from head to toe in mud by 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. He’d been sandbagging for three hours before taking a break.
The best part of it? “That’s probably getting out of school,” Brekhus said.
The worst part? He picked at his mud-slicked pants and jacket. “The worst part is getting muddy, and it’s all cold.”
Oak Creek residents were grateful for the help.
“I think the people who’ve come are just amazing,” said Marion Harris, 4404 Oak Creek Drive. “I think everyone is just glad to have them here.”

***** So I went to the club last night for work and yes we did actually have some tables. The clubhouse looks beautiful but I don't see us working much more this week. I have tonight off from work and today the City is starting to build a dike that will run from the maintenance shop all the way across our parking lot and tie into the Southwood Dr dike. They are protecting the city, clubhouse be damned. So we will be sandbagging the clubhouse and hoping for the best. The city is using the Hesco containers that were used in new Orleans. They are big rectangular sections that can be hooked together and filled with sand. We will be able to get into the parking lot until they decide to close the entrance to the club.

We woke up to snow this morning. That will slow the river a tad, they are pushing to get as much done today. School was canceled for the elementary kids, so the kids are home today and they are going to be working. The scariest thing now is that the cities are getting ready to release evacuation plans just in case they are needed. That thought just terrifies me right now. But as with everything in life, you take it in stride and go with the flow. We will be as prepared as we can be I guess. lol We are signing up for Code Red so that we will be notified of neighborhood emergencies.

Chris's project is still a go so he is at work trying to work when he would rather be out helping with the sandbagging. Crystal Sugar apparently doesn't care if there is a flood. His deadline is Monday. I am waiting to hear if they are going to cancel the DI tournament on Sat. As of yesterday it was still on.

It is just absolutely surreal to see all of the helping hands. People are coming here from the cities to help. If even for a day. Concordia College in St Paul is busing up 103 people today - their football team, their basketball team. They left at 6 am this morning and will be home again at 11 PM. Just to help save our city. A friend from college came up yesterday to help. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

So off for the day. I plan to get all the boxes and stuff up today, Furniture tonight and the we will assess the garage I guess. Don't know what to do about some of that. There is one tote in particular I need to find and loft. It has our wedding album in it I think. Don't ask me why it is out there. I don't know why. Oh and I have to get my nails done. Priorities. Have to look good for this flood no? haha! Cheers. :)

Pictures

Flood pictures - hopefully you can get to these pictures. They were taken this morning and were taken through my van window. Semi's with sand bags are receiving police escort through the city.

FROM BAD TO WORSE: Forecast flood crest earlier, higher than first thought F-M area steps up efforts upon hearing news Fargo-Moorhead and surrounding areas were inundated with bad news Sunday with a new predicted Red River flood crest that now could reach 39 to 41 feet and arrive as early as Friday – a foot higher and day earlier than originally forecast.
By: Patrick Springer, INFORUM

Fargo-Moorhead and surrounding areas were inundated with bad news Sunday with a new predicted Red River flood crest that now could reach 39 to 41 feet and arrive as early as Friday – a foot higher and day earlier than originally forecast.
Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker pleaded for stepped-up volunteer efforts as the city races to prepare for a flood that now appears likely to surpass the flood of 1997, which crested at 39.57 feet.
The worst recorded flood in Fargo’s history was 1897, when the Red River climbed to 40.1 feet.
“Volunteers – it’s time to take this thing seriously,” Walaker said in a news conference Sunday afternoon, as a light rain began falling – the beginning of several days of forecast heavy rains falling on ground already saturated from fall rains and a sudden spring thaw.
To handle the higher crest, the number of sandbags needed to protect Fargo has jumped to 2 million – a daunting task given the next couple of days of rains turning to snow expected to hamper efforts at a critical time.
The higher projected river levels also mean more Fargo neighborhoods will be threatened and will require protection, in most cases a layer or two of sandbags, city officials said.
Engineers on Monday will issue a list of threatened neighborhoods in addition to the approximately 13 originally slated for protection.
The most immediate focus in Fargo: neighborhoods along the river between 32nd and 40th avenues south, an area that will require an estimated 350,000 sandbags.
“Our first line of protection is along the river,” Walaker said. Truckloads of sandbags began pouring into southernmost Fargo Sunday.
Besides the ongoing plea for volunteers, city officials made multiple appeals for residents to cooperate, including a request for gawkers to stay away from areas near the river or areas where dikes or sandbagging operations are under way.
Issues area officials addressed Sunday:
E A major concern is traffic that will intensify today as thousands of people return to work. Police Chief Keith Ternes urged motorists to choose north-south routes as far from the river as possible and to use Interstates 29 and 94, if possible.
E Code Red alerts will be broadcast via telephone to areas of town that are not threatened, with a request that neighbors walk to nearby areas to help in sandbagging.
E Worsening weather conditions, with heavy rains turning to snow, will compound an already daunting task of protecting the city.
“What’s scary right now is the weather,” Walaker said, noting that the city’s past flood fights generally occurred in favorable weather.
Conditions will become especially difficult after temperatures fall below freezing Tuesday and Wednesday, making sandbags rigid and resulting in a porous barrier.
“You can’t place frozen sandbags,” Walaker said.
Despite the mounting challenges, the mayor said he remains “cautiously optimistic” the area will be able to beat the flood, as it has in many years past.
He estimated earthen dikes were mostly complete late Sunday, with some nearly complete. The higher crest, however, means dikes now must be raised another foot or so.
Still, the mayor said contingency plans are being made for an evacuation, in the event that becomes necessary, and people should take precautions, including moving valuable possessions upstairs.
One fear, Walaker said, is that the Sheyenne and Wild Rice rivers will flood overland and merge with the Red River – a confluence of water several miles wide that would have to make its way through the narrow funnel formed by levees in Fargo and Moorhead.
“It’s like an hour-glass that we’re forcing all this water through,” city manager Pat Zavoral said.
Officials emphasized, however, that the focus remains doing everything possible to beat the flood, and urged people to redouble their efforts.
City officials have been notified that at least 25 employers are releasing their employees to join the flood fight, along with Cass County Jail inmates, North Dakota State University football players, and public school students in grades 9 through 12.
Police are escorting trucks delivering sandbags, and people are urged to go to staging areas and take shuttle buses to the sandbag barricades.
“What we want to do is avoid any kind of chaos,” Walaker said. “To win this battle, we need your help, even more so.”

***Chris has sandbagged one window well and will be finishing the second tomorrow. He is off sandbagging and we will move furniture tomorrow I think. I have most of the stuff toted up but will pick up more rubbermaid containers on my way home from my photograpy class. Should have been canceled but for whatever reason it wasn't. The treadmill is the big issue. I think we are going to fold it up and lay it on the bed and hope for the best. HAHA!

Flood Watch 09

Flood watch - this is the link you can go to see the current level of the Red River and when they predict it will crest and at what level.

Moving stuff out of my basement today. Better safe than sorry! Floor drains are plugged and we have 4 sump pumps ready to go.

Pray for us!

They are sandbagging in our area right now. Chris is going out to help in ten minutes.


LATEST: Red River to top 1997 level by Thursday night, reach 40 feet early FridayFARGO - The Red River, with residents racing against time to build dikes and sandbag to protect cities and homes throughout the region, is now expected to crest a full day earlier than previous predictions.

FARGO - The Red River, with residents racing against time to build dikes and sandbag to protect cities and homes throughout the region, is now expected to crest a full day earlier than previous predictions.
"They really need to take this serious," said Greg Anderson, president of Oakport Township north of Moorhead, as he scrambled to brace for rising river levels.
Anderson didn't have much time to chat, but said the new crest prediction is serious.
Oakport Township residents are encouraged to attend a meeting at 7 tonight at the township meeting hall, 1401 28th Ave. N.
The city of Fargo also put out an urgent call for sandbag volunteers to help as a strong weather system bears down on the region. Up to an inch of rain could fall in Fargo tonight.
The latest crest predictions by the weather service show the Red River is expected to surpass the 1997 flood level by 7 p.m. Thursday. The National Weather Service in Grand Forks, N.D., says the river in Fargo is expected to reach 39.7 feet then, topping the 39.57-foot level in 1997.
The river is expected to continue rising, reaching 40 feet at 1 a.m. Friday. The river could stay at the level for several days, and multiple crests could happen, the weather service said.
Previous predictions showed the city had a 50-50 chance of reaching 40 feet between Saturday and April 1.
A warning on the weather service's Web site about the pending storm says:
"This is a very dynamic system, and will have a significant impact to the weather across our region. The amount of rain, the intensity at which this rain falls, the areal coverage and how much of it turns to snow, will all impact the developing flood. Rain falling on the frozen, snow covered ground of the Sheyenne River Valley will run off very quickly; where the snow has melted but the ground, ditches and drainage systems are all still frozen, expect overland flooding to develop."

Fargo Flood Watch '09

So the warmer weather of spring is GREAT! However in our neck of the woods that means flooding. The Red River runs right through Fargo, but instead of flowing south like most rivers, this one flows north right into frozen parts of the river. What does that mean? Lots of flooding.

This year they are predicting a crest of 37 to 40 feet over the banks. In 1997 during the hundred year flood it crested at 39.57 feet. The city is already sandbagging since the crest could hit anywhere from March 28-Apr 4th. We are hoping for the April 4th date as our flood insurance goes into effect Apr 3rd. HAHA!

What does that mean for the Andreachi household? Well in 97 this cul de sac did not flood. They put up a dike down Rose Creek Drive as well as on around the houses that over look the Rose Creek Coulee. None of those houses flooded in 97 either. So we are keeping our fingers crossed that things will be ok again.

On another note... DI is next weekend provided there isn't a major flood and we are all able to get to Casselton to compete. The club is supposed to open next Tues, although judging from what I saw last night, I worry that things won't be finished when we do open. The club didn't flood in 97 either so bonus for that!

My friend Dani didn't make it to Fargo this weekend due to the flu and bronchitis. What a bummer.

Twilight came out today and Tanie and I are going to watch it tonight after I go to the bachlorette party.

Oh and major congratulations to the Bison basketball team for doing an awesome job in their first Big Dance appearance! Although they lost to the Kansas Jayhawks they played very well and kept the Jayhawks on their toes. Great job Bison! You rock!

Ryan!

Look who let me cut his hair!!!!

Before:



After:



He isn't wild about the spiked hair, but he looks so handsome now. Here are a couple other shots during.








Look at all that hair! Yikes!

Oh and I get to go back to work on Tuesday! Wahoo!

Catch up...again!

So I feel like I am always playing catch up. With 4 kids who can blame me.
This weekend brought DI - tournament is in 2 weeks and I am very nervous for my team. Improv is hard for 3rd graders, but they did better today than they did yesterday so I can't complain.

We also picked up Girl Scout cookies for Meghan's troop. Here's what it looked like.

This is the van with all the cookies in it.


Meghan helped us sort the troops cookies this year. I did the individual orders, but with her helping I got started faster.



This is Meghan's pile of cookies. Filled the whole pool.



This is Meghan's stack compared to everyone elses. Yikes!



And Meghan sold 4 more boxes of cookies tonight which I have to pick up from the GS shop tomorrow. So her total is now 579! Double yikes! The troop sold 1137 - seven girls. You do the math.

Ryan told me we could finally cut his hair. Yeah! Now I need to get him in before April 3rd which is his spring program for school.

Meghan is getting her hair cut for Locks of Love on March 30! She and I are both excited. We are waiting with Katie till May. After her confirmation.

So you know we bought a second van. We did this cause something was going out on Chris's car - rack and pinion or something like that. If it were to go out we would lose power steering etc, and thus ruining something else if we drove it. Anyway... I took the new van to the amll today to pick up a pair of pants I had hemmed. As I went to turn into the lot, I lost my steering! Luckily I was going slow and was able to crank it into the lot. So I let it running and called Chris. Told him the problem and then the van starts dinging at me. I look to see it was overheating. Turned it off right away. Well Chris came to pick me up and hour later and best he can figure is when they did the work on it in Ada, they didn't get the serpentine belt back on right and it slipped off. So it is in the West Acres lot waiting to be towed tomorrow morning and get fixed. Of course the dealership is going to have to pay, since they didn't get it on right in the first place. And of course it would happen when I was driving it right?

Still waiting to see when I go back to work. I have hear Friday night we will open, I have heard The 24th. I am waiting till management decides to call. HAHA! I am shooting for the 24th. Works better in my world.

Anyway busy week ahead, lots of DI meetings. My friend Dani is coming into town for a bridal shower for a fellow Phi Mu of ours, yes I was in a sorority, and the kids are out of school and Chris will be at PRACS for the weekend. See why I am shooting for the 24th?

So that is it for now. I leave you with this mental image. Ryan called down from upstairs the other day. I found him with no pants on and toilet paper in his butt cheeks. He was jumping around and telling me he was a bunny. Yes I have a picture. No I won't post it!

Just a little snow...

Winter isn't done with us yet. Here's what we got yesterday.

Outside my sunroom window


Between the houses



After the plow came through




Outside the sunroom



I have been painting over the last week. Pictures to come...

Congrats!

Congrats to John Shuster's curling team for making the 2010 Olympics Team! Chris and I started watching curling more seriously when his friend Shawn made the 2006 Olympic team in Torino. They won the bronze medal at those games. John Shuster was a part of that team and after returning home decided to skip his own team. While Shawn's team didn't make trials this year, Shuster's team did and they won trials making them Team USA! Guess we have more curling to watch for the 2010 Olynpics! Yeah!