Word of the Day: Flood 2010 - Believe It!

Can you believe it?  Moorhead and Fargo are going to have another flood this spring (2010).  Most of you that are receiving this email update received it
last year during the 2009 Moorhead and Fargo Flood.  I struggled over whether to do this email update again this year but I decided that we as a
community should communicate as much as possible during a natural disaster. I will not feel badly at all if you do not wish to receive this email update
– if you do NOT wish to receive this, please email me back and I will remove you from the list.  Also, if you know someone who would like to receive this
update, please email me their address and I will add them to the list, forward it yourself, or direct them to the MPS blog at www.mpsutility.com
<http://www.mpsutility.com/> . Since we are not in the height of the flood fight, I will not be updating every day at this time, just when it seems
relevant to do so.

The following are notes on the flood event in Moorhead and Fargo, 2010.

Today’s Meetings of Interest:  Why start the 2010 Flood Journal today?  I told my wife Cheryl that I was going to start the Flood Journal tonight –
she said “No, don’t do it!”  However, flood activities are been heating up quite a bit lately.  But two flood related meetings today caught my
attention.  The first was an 8:00 am to 9:00 am meeting of the Fargo Flood Planners which was carried live on the local media.  This meeting was very
similar to last year’s daily flood meetings, however, the Fargo officials noted that this is not the start of daily meetings (it is too soon).
Basically, the meeting introduced all the players on the Fargo side.  The meeting ended with a press conference.  They mentioned that the flood
meeting/press meeting schedule that includes the Moorhead side will be to have Fargo first in the morning, Moorhead next and a joint meeting daily at
1:00 pm starting when the river level gets to a critical level (like 38feet).

The second meeting, not related to this year’s flood but to save us from future floods was the Metro Flood Study Work Group meeting. I think the
group is officially called the “Fargo/Moorhead/Cass/Clay Metropolitan Flood Planning Committee” which was formed by the elected officials to address
long term flood risk mitigation and to work with the Corps of Engineers to determine the most cost effective approach to address flood protection in
the metropolitan area as well as the surrounding rural subdivisions.  The meeting was from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm with many staying after to talk.  These
are meetings that have been occurring every Thursday for the past number of months and they will make a $1 billion recommendation to the Corps on
whether a diversion should be on constructed around Fargo and Moorhead in North Dakota or Minnesota.  They haven’t made their recommendation but are
expected to in the next few weeks.  See www.in-forum.com  tomorrow and every Friday to learn more.  You
may also google or bing “Metro Flood Study Work Group” and it comes right up.

In addition to all that Moorhead Public Service (MPS), Moorhead’s electric and water utility, is doing to prepare for the flood (see the report below),
the City of Moorhead is doing an exceptional job of preparing and communicating with the community regarding flood preparations (again, see
the report below and attachments on the upcoming flood meetings in (Moorhead).  Wow! Lots of meetings to get informed on the upcoming flood.

Moorhead Public Service Preparedness and Operations Update for March 9, 2010 Commission Meeting:  The following is a report that will be provided to the
Moorhead Public Service Commission for its March 9, 2010 meeting regarding Moorhead Public Service’s (MPS’) preparations for a 2010 spring flood event.
Special thanks to Jared Heller, MPS Water Distribution Engineer and 2010 MPS Flood Coordinator for coordinating this report.

BACKGROUND ON MPS 2010 FLOOD PREPARATIONS: 

It’s March and the weather is starting to change... As this report is written, the puddles are starting to form and the sun is starting to add
some heat to the air—meaning the spring melt has begun. During the last few weeks, the preparations of both MPS and the City have begun to pick up,
especially since the National Weather Service issued its outlook on February 19, 2010. This outlook basically gave the Red River of the North a 50
percent chance of reaching 38.6 feet. Attached is the memo e-mailed to the Commission on February 19, 2010, regarding the February 19, 2010, outlook.

Forecast Outlook: next scheduled outlook will be issued by the National Weather Service on March 5, 2010.

MPS Preparations:

MPS staff continues to prepare for the potential flooding this upcoming spring. MPS staff has been meeting on a weekly basis to discuss flood
preparations. Staff has developed the attached MPS Flood Organization Chart. The chart is divided into several areas (e.g., communications, electric
operations, water operations, customer response) with identified individuals responsible for each area. As mentioned in previous reports, Wate
Distribution Engineer Jared Heller has taken on the challenge of becoming the MPS Flood Coordinator. Heller will be responsible for coordinating the
preparations and the operations during this year’s spring flood. Key individuals have been identified as liaisons between MPS and the City of
Moorhead (City) for this event. Attached is the City’s Emergency Flood Plan Organization chart. MPS staff has been involved in the City’s Flood
Technical Team meetings that began in February.

MPS staff has been attending the flood information meetings hosted by the City over the past few weeks at Minnesota State University Moorhead’s Hansen
Theater. During these meetings, MPS staff has been an information source for the public to address any questions they have regarding their electric and
water services during a flood event.

The main focus of MPS’ flood preparations has been to communicate to our customers with information regarding their water and electric services
during a flood event. Beginning mid-February, the attached flood informational insert was included in all MPS bills. Staff will continue to
communicate this same information throughout the flooding season via handouts during the upcoming neighborhood meetings, media contacts, and the
MPS Web site.

Another major portion of communication is effectively providing information to our employees. MPS staff has scheduled a Flood Informational Meeting and
Luncheon for all MPS employees on March 9, 2010, at the American Legion. At this meeting, staff will provide information regarding the current status of
our flood preparations and provide any updated information regarding the City’s preparations.

Attached is a memo regarding the Open Meeting Law and its applicability during a flood or other disaster/emergency. This memo and its attachments
provide information on special meetings, emergency meetings, required notices, and meetings via telephone or other electronic means.

City of Moorhead Preparations:

The City of Moorhead continues to prepare for this year’s upcoming spring flood event. During the past few weeks, the City has been holding
informational meetings with residents of specific sections of Moorhead to discuss the current status of flood mitigation projects. Many of these
projects were developed in response to the 2009 spring flood event and will drastically improve a future flood fight. In these meetings, City staff has
also conveyed brief information regarding this year’s upcoming flood fight plan. MPS staff has been present during these meetings to answer questions
of residents regarding their electric and/or water service.  The City has begun scheduling neighborhood meetings, or flood zone meetings,
for residents along the river. The attached schedule provides times and locations for these flood zone meetings. The meetings are intended to

introduce the residents to the City’s plans for their zone and to give more detail as to the City’s plan for this year’s flood fight. MPS staff will
attend these meeting to address any questions regarding electric and water services. In addition, staff plans to distribute information to advise
residents on what they should do with their electric and water services during a flood.

These “zones” are something new that has been adopted by City staff for this year’s flood fight, and in future years if they work well. These “zones”
divide the city into eight (8) different zones as shown on the attached handout. Each “zone” will have an Engineering staff member assigned to be
the central liaison between City staff and the residents of the zone. This liaison will coordinate sandbag delivery, volunteer coordination, and
provide technical information as needed.

The City began filling sandbags on March 1, 2010, with a goal of producing 300,000 sandbags, which will provide protection to 38 feet. Currently, the
City is filling sandbags at its Public Works Facility at 700 15th Avenue North between the hours of 7 am and 7 pm and volunteers are being requested
to assist. As noted in the attached memo to all MPS employees, MPS employees have been given the opportunity to use up to four hours of paid leave during
normal working schedules to assist with the City’s pre-flood sandbagging efforts so long as the employee’s MPS activities are taken care of.

Within the next few weeks, this sandbag filling operation will be expanded to the Joint Use Public Works Facility located in the MCCARA Industrial Park
on the south side of town. At this location, the City will use a “Spider” sandbag filling machine, which can have the capacity of producing 5,000
sandbags per hour if all filling stations are occupied.

KEY ISSUES:

*         The National Weather Service’s outlook on February 19, 2010, gave a 50 percent chance for the river to reach 38.6 feet.

*         The next outlook will be issued on March 5, 2010. Following the outlook, staff will e-mail a memo to the Commission on March 5, 2010, to
provide an update on the outlook.

*         MPS staff continues to prepare for the upcoming spring flood event in all areas of the utility.