Mouse Bites Dog: Flooding Overtakes Minot

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Originally uploaded by Corps of Engineers St. Paul District

The Mississippi River gets the big press, and the Missouri River gets the small press, but today was the day the Mouse (Souris) River bit the Dawgs working to save the City of Minot in North Dakota from flooding.

Via Flickr:
MINOT, N.D. –A soldier with the North Dakota National Guard places sandbags on a temporary levee in Minot, N.D., June 22. The City of Minot enforced a mandatory evacuation shortly before 1 p.m. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, along with the North Dakota National Guard, continued to reinforce temporary levees to allow citizens affected by the mandatory evacuation enough time to safely leave the area. The Corps will continue to support local officials within the Souris Basin during the historic flood event. USACE photo by Patrick Moes

I took a look at the FEMA floodplain maps for Ward County, ND. Large neighborhoods on either side of the Souris River going through Minot are mapped as “Zone X” with this ominous note: “The area protected from the one percent annual chance (100-Year) flood by levee, dike, or other structure subject to possible failure or overtopping during larger floods.” Unfortunately, they are being proven correct today.

(Cross posted from All-Hazards Mitigation Blog)

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