Word of the Day: Crest. Today looks to be the day of the Flood 2010 crest.  Everyone is relieved that it appears it will be lower than initially expected but still a top five flood in history.

Quote of the Day: Minnesota Congressman Collin Peterson, via conference phone at the 10 a.m. Moorhead Press Conference, “We got notification last night of the Presidential Disaster Declaration so the help will be there to pay for this flood.  I wish I was there, keep up the good work!” The Presidential Disaster Declaration means that the federal government will reimburse the city 75 percent of the flood related expenditure dating back to March 1, 2010.  Minnesota State Representative Morrie Lanning noted that he has been in contact with Governor Pawlenty and the Governor will try to get the state to pick up the 25 percent portion.

Picture(s) of the Day/A Day’s Activities in Pictures:

• MN Senator Franken arrives in Moorhead; Mayor Voxland explains the flood situation as cameras roll
• Senator Franken takes time for a friendly photo op with Moorhead Mayor and Council Members
• Senator Franken and Moorhead Mayor Voxland; Senator speaks to Colonel Christenson of the National Guard
• MN Representative Morrie Lanning speaks at the Moorhead Press Conference as Mayor Voxland looks on
• City Engineer Bob Zimmerman looks to the smart board as the Moorhead Technical Team and Neighborhood Zone Leaders observe the latest National Weather Service (NWS) deterministic forecast (also attached) showing the 37 foot crest.  Bob Z’s quote of the day when he looked at the screen, “I don’t think we’re going to hit 37.5 and that’s all right.”  The river level at 10:15 a.m. was 36.6 feet.
• MPS Employee Chris Perlichek monitors the dike at the River Pumping Station (RPS).  It appears the water will not hit the sandbags.  Notice the American flag in the background, very patriotic Chris!
• A view of the water flowing under the Main Avenue Bridge in Moorhead around noon, the crest is expected to be three-tenths of an inch higher than in this picture.
• Mayor Voxland holds up the greatly revised “2010 Flood Manual” at the 10 a.m. Moorhead Press Conference and explains that many changes in how we approach and communicate about the flood has been changed since the record breaking Flood of 2009.
• Steve Schafer is a neighbor to the MPS River Pumping Station in South Moorhead.  Last year Steve had a walk out basement – not this year J
• Project Engineer Travis Schmidt sent me a picture of a home elevated and ready to move out (after the waters recede) in South Moorhead, one of the 42 homes bought out from last year’s historic flood.

Current River Level (and Current National Weather Service (NWS) Forecast):

• The current river level is  36.74 feet at 3:15 pm today (Saturday, March 20, 2010)
• The previous river level was 35.8 feet at 4:15 pm yesterday (Friday, March 19, 2010)
• The National Weather Service today lowered the flood crest forecast again from a range of 37 to 38 feet with a midpoint of 37.5 to 37 feet.

Steve Schafer enjoyed the “Sandbaggin” song from yesterday: I agree with Steve, make it into a video.  Steve lives right next to the MPS River Pumping Station in South Moorhead (see today’s pictures).

Bill,

Thanks.  The song is awesome.  I really hope someone adds some video to it!

Steve

From: Bill Schwandt [mailto: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ]
Sent: Friday, March 19, 2010 9:46 PM
Subject: Update From Bill Schwandt on Moorhead-Fargo Flood Fight 2010

Friday, March 19, 2010 8:15 pm; (Sorry, the last email may have been a little too big, let’s try that again J)

Word of the Day: Lowered. The word of the day today was a tough one to pick, it could have been “Vigilance” from Mayor Mark Voxland at the press conference yesterday and today as well as in the Forum this morning.  It could have been “Monitor” from City Engineer Bob Zimmerman this morning in the City of Moorhead Technical Team meeting and later the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) as he noted we were complete with the preparations (clay dikes, sandbag dikes, pumps, storm and sanitary systems, electrical all ready). “Prepared” could have been the word.  However, “Lowered” is the word as the community will go into the weekend with a lower crest prediction and feeling good about its chances of getting through likely the fourth highest crest in history.

Current River Level (and Current National Weather Service (NWS) Forecast):

• The current river level is  35.8 feet at 4:15 pm today (Friday, March 19, 2010)
• The previous river level was 34.44 feet at 9:15 pm yesterday (Thursday, March 18, 2010)
• The National Weather Service today lowered the flood crest forecast from a range of 37 to 39 feet with a midpoint of 38 to a range of 37 to 38 feet with a midpoint of 37.5! The crest should occur late Sunday night and will recede as slowly as it rose (very slowly). It appears that the main reason for the drop now is that the Wild Rice River at Abercrombie crested this morning one-half foot lower than the NWS predicted, giving them comfort in lowering the projection (so much for “that’s my story and I’m stickin to it” that was talked about yesterday – it’s tough science predicting the Red River.)

Song of the Day: Check out the email below I received from Moorhead my friend and Moorhead resident Mike Slette.  Mike and Kim live in the River Oaks subdivision in south Moorhead and expects to be surrounded by water during the crest.  Mike sent me the attached song from Concordia student Jason Sather.  Jason obviously has experience with Moorhead-Fargo Floods.  I thought it was great.  I like most music, even rap and this is a cute rap song.  Listen closely to the words – very creative and funny (see lyrics); and it is about this Moorhead-Fargo flood and all those wonderful “sandbaggin” students J.  I told Mike that he needs to tell Jason to quick get some video and put it on YouTube and it may be a hit!  (See the lyrics at the bottom of today’s update – good stuff.)

From: MIKE KIM SLETTE
Sent: Friday, March 19, 2010 2:55 PM
To: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Subject: FW: Sandbaggin Song

Hi Bill,

Hey, we have talented and dedicated sandbaggers around here.  Jason Sather, a senior at Concordia and a member of the men's track team, is also quite the musician (not his major, just a passion).  Check out his song below.  BTW, speaking of multi-talented, Jason and his fellow 4X200M team members set a new Cobber school indoor track record at the MIAC indoor meet a couple weeks ago.  These are fun kids to have on our side here in the FM area! 

Gotta like the new crest projection!

Take care,

Mike

Mike,

The song is great!  It will be in today’s Flood UpdateJ. Thanks and good luck this weekend with the water all around you. You can pretend you are on a boat at the lake (I can only say this because the crest is lowered a bit and you should be in pretty good shapeJ).

Mike, I have actually been listening to the song over and over again as I end the week putting together a quick Flood Update.  The song is great – I like the tune.  I also think the words are great, at one point he even mentioned the “tap water tastes so good”, which he adds “tastes like a glass of river water would”, a sarcastic reference to our taste and odor issue right now with our water – OuchJ.

Have a great weekend and we will keep the electricity on.  If it happens to go out, call us quick at 218.299.5400, we have our electric crews here 24/7 from this point until after the crest.  We can get out there quick.

See you soon.

Bill

Quote of the Day: Minnesota Representative Paul Marquart at today’s Moorhead Press Conference “If the Red River crests at 38 feet that will be the fourth highest crest in history, yet it is manageable.  It didn’t happen by accident, it happened with a lot of work by local, state, and federal officials coming together.  Congratulations to the valley and Moorhead.  Thank you volunteers for all your work.”

Emergency Operations Meeting Today and the Update from Lieutenant Jim Nielsen: I thought you may want to see the update that we get when we go to the EOC in the morning (also, I don’t have to collect all this good information, thanks Lt. Nielsen J).  Incident Commander Shannon Monroe is doing a great job keeping the EOC organized.  This meeting was at 9:00 a.m. this morning so note that the crest prediction was still 38 feet at that time.

FLOOD UPDATE FRIDAY 3/19/10                               from Lt Nielsen

Crest expected now Sunday 3/21 around noon at 38’

Crest range expected to be 37-39’

Sandbags

City is no longer producing more sandbags

Has 90,000 on hand with 50,000 in heated storage

Dignitaries

Dignitaries will be touring the area starting today including the governor

Large Portable Pumps

Please remember if a citizen asks you, all the pumps will be staffed but there is not a need for a single person to be assigned to each pump 24/7. Just because someone is not standing next to a pump constantly does not mean the pump is not being properly staffed. They are being staffed by construction companies

New City of Mhd Flood Website Is Operational

http://www.ci.moorhead.mn.us/Flood/

Volunteer Center @ Nemzek is closed

Clay Levies Being Constructed (all constructed)

under I-94

Drainage Ditch Culvert @ 40th Av S near 2nd Street has been blocked shut

SW corner of the Hjemkomst Center

300 blk 1st Av N

Woodlawn Point Neighborhood (4th Av S  & Elm Street)

Horn Park Dike

40th Ave S /River Haven Road

7th Av S @ Elm

Cancelled building a dike at 36th Av S & Rivershore (not necessary)

Cancelled building a dike on 9th Street North near the LEC (not necessary)

1st clay levies that will touch water will be under I94, & near 4th Av S

Zone Information

All zone leaders have all their sand bag dikes completed. They are double

checking their neighborhoods today

We have officers assigned to the zones today from 8 AM to 4 PM

Sanitary Sewer System / Lift Stations

The sanitary sewer system and the lift stations are all working very well

Road Closures (from north to south)

Toll Bridge

3rd Street underpass, Woodlawn Park Drive to 4th Av S

Rivershore Dr S under I94

1st Av N @ 7th Street

40th Av S is now a one-way street. It is N/B along Riverhaven Road and

E/B only then along 40th Ave So past the intersection with 2nd Street

Street Department

Will not have personnel on duty 24/7 unless a need develops

Moorhead Public Service

Starting today will have an electrical crew on duty 24/7 for any electrical outages. They are doing this due to the urgency of people needed power for sump pumps

MN National Guard

Being tasked with levy patrols

Rapid Response Sand Bag Teams in place. Locations;

School Bus Barns 1300 15th Av N

Former A1 Transmission building 2000 1st Av South

Joint Public Works Facility in the new industrial park

Weather Forecast

Friday colder with a high of 33 degrees

Friday night a low of 18 degrees

Saturday high of 36 degrees and sunny

No significant precipitation expected

30% chance of light snow flurries Tuesday

http://www.wday.com/event/weather/group/weather/

Telephone Numbers

EOC (not public) X, X, X

City of Moorhead Call Center X5300 (closing at 8 PM Friday night)

Weekend hours expected to be open until 6 PM each day

When closed call center calls automatically forward to the EOC

Websites

The new City Flood Website is operational http://www.ci.moorhead.mn.us/Flood/

River level http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=fgf&gage=fgon8&view=1,1,1,1,1,1&toggles=10,7,8,2,9,15,6

Clay County      http://www.co.clay.mn.us/Default.htm

Weather Service Grand Forks http://www.crh.noaa.gov/fgf/

River Forecast Center http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ncrfc/

Probabilistic Graph http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ahps2/period.php?wfo=fgf&gage=fgon8&view=1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1&toggles=10,7,8,2,9,15,6

US Army Corps of Engineers http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/

Picture(s) of the Day:

• MPS Administrative Assistant Casey Serocki lives in north Fargo and while out for a walk last night she heard a waterfall and took a picture of the water going over the dike at El Zagel golf course.
• MN Representation Paul Marquart speaks at the 10 a.m. Moorhead Press Conference
• MN Senator Keith Langseth interviewed by local television media

Lyrics for song “Sandbaggin” by Jason Sather:

Sand Baggin
> Jason Sather
>
> Hey
> You built your house on a flood plain
> What were you thinking?
> Oh
> Maybe it's 'cause we all love to sandbag.
>
> Shovel that sand
> fill up that bag
> pass it down the line
> we never get paid
> You wonder why
> we're living on a flood plain
> It's cause we love to sandbag
> It's cause we love to sandbag
>
> When the snow starts to melt and rain comes down
> the water level rises, we assemble the towns
> We get tendonitis in our hands and our toes
> we don't really care cause we get free sloppy Joes
> six hours of sleep still in good moods
> the student volunteers are getting so much free food
> the red river's rising and we're running on fumes
> I ruined my shoes but I got rubber boots
> sandbag central and backyards
> you'll always find the volunteers bagging so hard
> sandbaggin all day sandbaggin all night
> you know Fargo-Moorhead's got the very best dikes
>
> Shovel that sand
> fill up that bag
> pass it down the line
> we never get paid
> You wonder why
> we're living on a flood plain
> It's cause we love to sandbag
> It's cause we love to sandbag
>
> This is what we do we save the city from harm
> we've got the best bodies, the most muscular arms
> we blast the music and we have a good time
> we keep all the sandbags flying down the line
> now the bag's arn't light, that's accepted and fine
> but whoever filled the hundred pounder has never been in line
> drippin in sweat, sand and mud
> all you baggers out there deserve the city's love
> it's just part of the fun, soaking wet, dirty and cold
> missing class to volunteer never gets old
> you know we don't depend on disaster relief
> it's the 100,000 hours volunteering in the street.
>
> volunteers, volunteers, fire fighters, police, national guard, armed services,
> anyone else I forgot to mention.
>
> Rubber boots
> lots of food
> everybody bagging with me in a good good mood
> Rubber boots
> lots of food
> everybody with me in a good mood
>
> The tap water taste's so good
> it tastes like a glass of river water would
> baggin hard through the sand and the mud
> it happens every year but it's a 300 year flood
>
> Shovel that sand
> fill up that bag
> pass it down the line
> we never get paid
> You wonder why
> we're living on a flood plain
> It's cause we love to sandbag
> It's cause we love to sandbag

>Hey Sather,

>What’s up man,

>the flood’s gonna have a second crest at 50,

>oh man let’s add another row, woo hoo