Jeff Flock: Flood prevention activities in South Dakota

Jeff Flock

Jeff Flock is CNNs Chicago Bureau Chief. He is in South Dakota covering the situation along the Red River as towns prepare to deal with potential flooding.

Q: What are conditions like in South Dakota at the moment?

Flock: The landscape is eerily reminiscent of the 1997 flood situation. There is a lot of standing water on the farmland; a lot of water in ditches along the roads; sandbags piled up in various places; crews busy building earthen levies to hold back the flood water.

VIDEO Correspondent Julie Borgen talks with people piling up the sandbags and reminiscing about the flood four years ago Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   CNN WEATHER FORECAST Fargo, ND     ALSO Cities along Red River prepare for floods

Q: Which communities are near rivers that have reached flood stage, and what preventive measures of they taking?

Flock: Breckenridge has dikes built to withstand floods up to 20 feet. The projected crest this Thursday or Friday is 19-1/2 feet, so the town added two feet to the top of the levies for some additional protection.

The water at Grand Forks, which was so hard hit in 1997, is currently at about 41 feet. By the end of the week, officials expect it to be 46 feet, but they have current protection up to 50 feet. However, they are going to add two feet of protection. Communities that were hit so hard in 1997 dont want to take any chances.

Q: Has this area recovered from the flood of 1997?

Flock: "Recovered" is a subjective term. Grand Forks, which was flooded, then had much of its downtown burned in the 1997 flood, has come back, but it is a very different town. What is being done with the levy in Grand Forks is a prime example of how much impact the 1997 event had. Even though the crest is projected at 46 feet now, and they currently have 50 feet of protection, they are still adding two more feet just because of the fear.

Q: After 1997, Fargo bought land around the riverbanks from residents for preventive measures. Have any other communities done this? Has this been successful?

Flock: It has been government policy for some years to try to buy out homeowners in the flood plain, relocate them, and turn what had been residential area into parkland, for example. Grand Forks went through a large program of this type after the 1997 event and it has been very successful. However, a number of homes still remain in the flood plain, and that is what we are dealing with now.

Q: Is this area prepared for a major flood?

Flock: The only positive outcome of the 1997 flood is that people realized what they are up against. At this point, there are no predictions that this situation will be worse than 1997 in places like Grand Forks. However, people know they need to be vigilant and that this means to get out when you need to get out; make sure the levies and the people are prepared for the worst. One man said that in the 1997 flood, he had sandbagged the entrance to his basement and it withstood the floodwaters, but the front door, which he thought was high up, was not sandbagged, and water came through there. The lesson is to prepare for everything.

Minnesota, Dakotas pile sandbags against rising rivers
April 8, 2001
Midwest storm knocks out power, floods homes
April 7, 2001

National Weather Service
UM Weather (University of Michigan)

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