With the storm seeming past us now, the Red Lake River has crested at an earlier lower point than expected, according to the National Weather Service, at 27.07 feet., on Sunday, April 24, at 11:30 p.m. While the river is still flowing and at high levels, City Hall, the Emergency Operations Center, and the National Guard remain alert to the high waters, even though the worst has seemingly passed.
Over the weekend, one levee had been breached on Riverside Avenue and caused significant water damage to at least one house and at least half a dozen others to evacuate the area to the Crookston Sports Center. The City of Crookston had also called for the National Guard to arrive in the City to assist in the flood battle, which caused about 50 members of the National Guard to arrive yesterday afternoon. “The National Guard has been here since at least 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, and they have been very helpful to us.” Interim City Administrator Charles “Corky” Reynolds explained, “They assisted us with sandbagging, dike controls, and walking the levees, and I believe that some of them are heading to Fischer to help them in their efforts as they’re receiving the water that has passed through here and heading west,” he added. With the National Guard’s arrival and assistance, the City has stopped calling for volunteers to assist with the flood-fighting but still has its City Departments on the lookout for the rising waters. “The sandbagging has been completed at this point, so there’s no need for additional volunteers to sandbag, build levees, or walk the dikes,” “Corky” Reynolds explained, “But the City Crews will be watching the levees, and if anything arises, we will ask for help again if it’s needed,” he added.
While the worst of the storms and floods have seemingly passed, the City is aware that the weather forecast calls for more precipitation later this week, starting Thursday, and is remaining alert as to what it could do to the high river waters. “What’s important is, is it rain? Is it snow? And how much are we getting? So yes, it could affect the river levels, particularly if the precipitation occurs to the north and the east of us. So, we’re continuing to watch and be vigilant, and we hope that there’s not much, if any precipitation at all, but we’ll be watching that and asking for additional help at that time.” With the storm past, the City is looking to recover from the high waters but is mainly waiting for the river levels to return to more manageable levels before they can make progress. Reporting that they will have City Departments and the National Guard will continue to monitor and assist areas where they are needed at least until Tuesday, April 26, and keep the Emergency Operations Center open at least until Wednesday, April 27. Interim City Administrator Reynolds would also like to remind people that even though the river levels will drop again, the crisis is not over yet as the dikes still have to be maintained but believes that the worst of it has moved West of the City. While they have not released a formal restriction, the City is also asking the citizens to be conservative in their water usage to assist the Wastewater Treatment Plants that is running at high capacity and taking in more water than usual.
