During the Flood
As the spring thaw proceeded, it wasn't long before the Red River was
climbing out of its banks. The river reached its 28 foot flood stage on
April 4th, while Grand Forks was getting pounded on by blizzard Hannah.
The river rose steadily, but crest predictions put out by the National
Weather Service remained under the level of the 52 foot dikes until noon
on Friday, April 18th - the day the flooding would begin. At this time the
river level was already at 52.19 feet and was rising at a rate of an inch an
hour. By 4:30 p.m. this same day, the floodwaters in the Lincoln Drive
area of Grand Forks were at the same level as the river, leaving about
300 homes in water, many of them to their rooftops.
One by one areas of the city are taken by water as dikes fail and
water surges across the table-top flat topography of the Red River
Valley. People flee with what little posessions they may think to grab
as mandatory evacuations are ordered almost city-wide.
By noon on Saturday, April 19th, apporximately 50% of Grand Forks and
virtually all of East Grand Forks, the town on the Minnesota side of the
river, were flooded as the dikes were topped by the still rising river.
On Monday, April 21st, the Red River finally reached its
crest at Grand Forks of 54.11 feet - 26 feet above flood
stage. At this time 90% of East Grand Forks' 8,700 residents and 75%
of Grand Forks' 52,000 residents had been evacuated.
Pictures are definitely the best way to describe the actual conditions
faced in the city of Grand Forks. Be sure to visit the following
photo-filled links for some great shots of all that went on in the
battle with the river.
In the evening of April 19th, the second day of the flood, while 4
feet of water stood in downtown Grand Forks, the floodwater triggered
an electrical problem in the Security Building that sparked a fire.
Floodwater in the streets prevented the firefighters from spraying the
flames since there was no pressure in the hydrants, and most of the fire
trucks couldn't even get through the high water to the scene of the
fire. After 120,000 gallons of fire retardant was dropped by airplane on
the flaming buildings, the fire eventually ceased, but not before it had
damaged or destroyed 11 buildings in the historic downtown.
Since the bridges that link the cities of Grand Forks and East
Grand Forks had to be closed due to high water covering their roads,
residents fled to various surrounding areas on their respective sides
of the river. About 4,000 evacuated residents of East Grand Forks
travelled to Crookston, a Minnesota city 25 miles away from the river to
seek shelter from the flood. The Red Cross set up a shelter at the Grand
Forks Air Force Base, where 3,000 beds for evacuees were set up to
provide shelter. The Eagles Arena also provided space for victims of
the flood.
Finally on April 23rd the river began to recede. With this came both
joy and sadness. The next day Grand Forks residents were allowed to
return to their homes for the first time for a short visit. What
they saw when they returned was beyond their beleif...