Communities on Red Lake River affected by major flooding last spring begin flood preparation
Mar. 18—FISHER, Minn. — Nearly a year after area students, volunteer firefighters and the Minnesota National Guard
gathered to defend Fisher, Minnesota,
from a rapidly rising river, the town is once again preparing for spring flooding.
Though the flood outlook shows major flooding is less likely than last year at this point, Mayor Emily Tinkham says last year's sudden flood has led her to keep her guard up this year.
"We're going to be prepared. We're going to make sure everything is in place and if we feel like we need to start sandbags, we will start making those earlier than we did last year," she said. "We're going to keep an eye on things a little bit better this year."
In April 2022, heavy rainfall along the Red River Valley and its tributaries caused major flooding in much of the region. On the Red Lake River, Fisher and upstream
Crookston both fought flooding with sandbags
to prevent water from overtaking their dikes. In both towns, flood preparation is underway.
In a
flood outlook issued Thursday, March 9, the National Weather Service
said there is a 50% chance of minor flooding on the Red Lake River in Crookston. Fisher does not have a gauge and does not receive flood outlook predictions.
In Fisher, early preparation looks like monitoring the flood outlook and conditions upstream. Until snow starts to melt and the ground starts to thaw, the actual severity of the flooding will be unknown, Tinkham said.
The flood in 2022 also prompted updates to flood infrastructure in Fisher. The city is waiting on Federal Emergency Management Agency funding, but plans to replace gates on its culverts before spring flooding starts. Later in the year, the hope is to raise the dike.
"We determined that there were some areas to our dike and culverts that needed to be fixed, that were probably part of the reason the city flooded like it did," said Tinkham.
Tinkham said last year's flood also made emergency responders more aware of the need for thorough preparation and consistent monitoring during high-water events.
"I think it did sneak up last year, and if we could avoid that this year, that would be awesome," said Tinkham.
But even with room for improvement, Tinkham says she is still amazed at the outpouring of support and help during the flood fight last year.
"It was amazing to see how everybody came together, and from everywhere — businesses were donating their employees' time, equipment, students, everything," she said. "It still just blows my mind to this day how much everyone comes together when one city is in need."
In Crookston, flood preparation looks similar to past years and is just starting to ramp up. Shane Heldstab, Crookston's fire chief and emergency manager, said public works staff are checking on sandbagging equipment and pumps this week, and next week will start making sure equipment for emergency communications is up and running.
"That's how the ball is rolling right now — getting equipment out, running it to make sure it's prepped, going and checking all of our pumps and making sure that everything looks like it's going to be accessible and operational," he said.
Like in Fisher, moving into spring, the conditions of the thaw will affect how Crookston responds.
"That's going to be our biggest thing at this point in time — keeping a watch on the weather," he said.
According to the NWS, the main Red River corridor has the greatest probability of significant flooding — classified by NWS as moderate or major flooding. In the March 9 flood outlook, NWS said Fargo and Harwood, North Dakota, have a 50% chance of major flooding this spring.
Heldstab says emergency responders in Crookston will also be paying attention to areas expected to see more severe flooding.
"We're also going to be watching that, and depending on what our outlook is we can adjust and assist other regional areas if need be or if called on," he said.
The NWS will issue its next flood outlook on Thursday, March 23.
