Picture of the Day:  Today Bob Zimmerman mentioned during the Moorhead Technical/Coordination meeting that we needed pictures of the flood so if anyone could take some pictures that would be nice.  I’m not sure that my cell phone camera is the quality Bob was looking for but I believe I got a great picture of what was happening this evening in North Moorhead – check out the picture of Assistant City Engineer Tom Trowbridge with north Moorhead residents asking him questions after the Zone 1 neighborhood meeting

Quote of the Day:  “I try not to over-think the flood, or it would drive me crazy” Grandma Opal (“the gem, not the car” J, Opal told me).  Opal was at the Zone 1 meeting in north Moorhead this evening – very sweet lady trying not to get over concerned about the flood.

Quote of the Week:  “Preparing for this flood is like having two months to prepare before my home is hit by a tornado”  From an article in the Fargo-Moorhead Forum over the weekend.  Everyone is way ahead of the flood this year, very different from the flood last year.  Think about it, this journal started about four days before the crest and this year we are likely still one month away from the crest (likely to happen in mid-April, last year on March 28, 2009)

Quotes of the Flood: 

• “We are sitting on the same keg of dynamite that we were sitting on last year at this time”, Greg Gust, forecaster from the National Weather Service (NWS), at the news conference concerning the flood forecast about four weeks ago.
• “The keg of dynamite is dry, it is bigger, and the fuse is getting shorter.”  Again, Greg Gust (NWS) at a press conference approximately two weeks ago.

Forecast – See attachment:  Last Friday, March 5, 2010, the NWS delivered its latest forecast at a news conference in Fargo.  At this time, the NWS is predicting a 20 percent chance of having a flood that exceeds the level from last year (40.82 feet).  See the attachment for more information on the forecast from March 5.  The next NWS forecast will be on March 19.

Highlights of Today: 

• Press Conference at 11:00am.  Moorhead Mayor Mark Voxland, Moorhead City Manager Mike Redlinger, Clay County Board Chair Kevin Campbell, and Clay County Sheriff Bill Berquist led the press conference that announced that both the Mayor and Council and Clay County Commission approved official declarations of “a state of emergency” to prepare for a spring flood event for 2010 and prepare advanced measures.  Mayor Voxland hit a few high points:
  • Sandbag Central – the goal is 300,000 bags made for a level of 38 feet.  We are 1/3 the way there.  Fargo is doing similar preparations of sandbags.
  • Three major neighborhood meetings were completed that outlined the city infrastructure (like $17 million) improvements that were put in place since last year.
  • Meetings starting this evening for the eight “flood fighting” zones, with zone leaders, etc.
  • One phone number this year:  218.299.5300 gets you to the answers in Moorhead.
  • Governor Pawlenty will be here tomorrow to look over the situation.  He will bring with him the MN DNR to look over all the preparations that have been completed this year to get ready for a flood.
  • The 300.000 sandbags are for the RESIDENTS, for private property, not public property (just a clarification J).
  • Tomorrow night is “College Night” at Sandbag Central, with contests, pizza, and door prizes (sounds like what it takes to get the young flood labor out earlyJ).
  • GO TO www.cityofmoorhead.com to sign up for Code Red, where you can get alerts on your regular and cell phone (I’m thinking Grandma Opal may skip this the cell phone step.)
• Zone 1 and 2 meetings at the Moorhead Country Club.  The meetings went well with lots in attendance.  Bob Z did a great job – twice.  Lots of questions.
• The Moorhead Public Service Commission had its meeting this evening.  It was uncharacteristically short (35 minutes).  It appears that President Ken Norman had a Zone one flood meeting to attend and I heard his new granddaughter was at his home as well.  Staff thought his granddaughter should stay so we can have short meetings all the time J.

Links for more information:  The City of Moorhead has a great site (will be getting greater in a few days as well) at www.cityofmoorhead.com/flood.  Community Development Director (and flood communications guy) Scott Hutchins mentioned to me this evening that the official web site of the City will be getting an upgrade in the next few days (so go there now and then and see the difference).  Moorhead Public Service has our information at www.mpsutility.com  - look for the flood tile.  I saw on the news this morning that a techie looking guy near Oak Grove in Fargo has a website with a webcam and pictures and blog and other stuff at www.fargoflooding.com.  I looked at it and he seems to be off to a good start.

Bill’s Disclaimer Again:  Again, 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. 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.