Fisher was battling rising waters from the Red Lake River Sunday and Monday after the river rose to dangerous levels since 3:30 a.m.
According to Fisher Mayor Emily Tinkham, the efforts began when they received news that a house near the river had its basement flooded and realized just how high the river’s level had gotten. So, around 4:30 a.m. they called for the National Guard to help them to make the levee taller as the rivers levels were continuing to rise. Along with the dike, Fisher is also running pumps in a couple of different areas to drain the water back into the river and protect houses that are in those areas. The river currently has flooded a few roadways and bridges in Fisher, to the point where they are unpassable. “The bridge that goes under Demers Avenue is underwater and not passable at all,” said Fisher Mayor Emily Tinkham. “We have two other streets in town that are taking on water and have both been closed, but there’s not much we can do right now with those two roadways.”
With the rising river waters, the people of Fisher have come out in droves to help build the dikes, prevent more water from flowing in, and help transfer water back into the river. Over 150 people helped sandbag according to Mayor Tinkham. “We have high school students from Fisher High School, about 50 kids from the East Grand Forks High School, the local volunteer Fire Department, and a bunch of people from the community and surrounding communities are here to help.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, the river levels continue to drop.
