Burlington Prepares for Major Flooding on KMOT-TV North Dakota's NBC News Leader

Burlington Prepares for Major Flooding | Video

4/8/2009

The latest flood forecast by the National Weather Service is not looking good for small towns along the Des Lacs and Souris Rivers.

The city of Burlington is wasting no time in preparing for major flooding expected along the Des Lacs.

Mayor Jerome Gruenberg has issued an emergency declaration and asks volunteers to ramp up the sandbag effort.

The Des Lacs river is expected to crest in Foxholm around Sunday. All that water will then be headed downstream...to Burlington.

Residents here are gearing up for a flood fight. That means protecting homes and property. And they plan to do it in just four days.

Sandbag efforts have picked up in Burlington as the urgency grows.

Volunteers must fill about 75,000 bags in an effort to protect the city from potential flood water.

"We need volunteers. There is a lot of work to do," says Kevin Archer the Burlington Fire Chief.

The Des Lacs River flows through Burlington, meeting up with the Souris along the way. City officials say they are watching the confluence but they are more concerned about the Des Lacs itself. The river is uncontrolled and the National Weather Service says there is potential for major flooding.

The city of Burlington will use sandbags, clay and plastic barriers to fill in low spots along the river. City officials have already laid out a plan and expect the work to be completed within the next four days.

"This is the area we need to look at. This is gray street. These are areas of concern We are going to build a dike system here. Whether it is clay or plastic barriers and we are putting clay here. We don`t need to do anything here and the sandbags throughout this area," says Archer.

The city will need to build a sandbag dike about a half of a mile long...and that requires hard work from Burlington volunteers. Students from the high school are working alongside community members and the National Guard.

"It pretty much says we can come together when we need to. It shows a lot of character," says High School Senior Kristapher Gruenberg.

City officials and Burlington residents are worried about what the river will bring, but in the meantime all they can do is fill, and stack, and hope.

"A lot of work for nothing, that is what we are hoping for," says Burlington resident Jennifer Olonia.

The National Guard is helping in the sandbagging effort and will also assist to shore up the dikes. Volunteers are needed here during the week from 9:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. and from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Saturday.

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