MOORHEAD - In some neighborhoods, Moorhead Mayor Mark Voxland said the city's zone leaders tasked with coordinating sandbag distribution are starting to feel like door-to-door salesmen - and some residents still aren't buying in.
"It seems like some people still living around the river on both sides think the river's going to behave," Voxland said at the city's daily update on flood fighting efforts this morning.
For the second day in a row, he cautioned against complacency and urged residents to take advantage of sandbag distribution and volunteers sooner rather than later.
City manager Mike Redlinger said he's seen "much more interest" in sandbags today than it did Tuesday, when the city deployed about 50,000 bags. On Tuesday, just 10 to 12 of the 299 property owners who need sandbag walls had requested bags. Redlinger said that number has picked up with "several more" requests today, but didn't give an updated figure.
Underscoring the disconnect between the urgency of the rising river and some residents' perceptions, Redlinger said some residents are already calling and asking when they can take their dikes down.
ADVERTISEMENT
"We said, 'We're not there yet,'" he said.
Voxland said about 120 volunteers turned out Tuesday. He said he'd like to see perhaps three times that number today, saying the city can easily keep as many as 500 people busy.
Today, 150 students from Park Christian School will volunteer. Voxland said area colleges has decided to keep students in class so far, but said there have been "good organizational pushes" to get college students to volunteer.
Meanwhile, Clay County Sheriff Bill Bergquist said some township and rural roads are seeing flooding and water damage. He asked drivers to avoid waterlogged roads if possible.
He also said the Coast Guard has implemented sanctions on Red River boating, and urged people to stay off the river. Those sanctions carry fines of tens of thousands of dollars, and the possibility of years of prison.
With rain expected this weekend, Voxland said he'd like to have all protection in place by the end of Friday. He acknowledged efforts will likely carry over into the weekend, but warned residents that waiting until the last minute could create a crunch on limited flood-fighting resources.
Mark Ewens of the National Weather Service said a half-inch of rain is forecast for this weekend, with more possible if thunderstorms develop. Heavy rain would prolong or raise the crest, currently projected between 39.5 and 41 feet by Sunday or Monday.
He, too, implored residents to err on the side of caution.
ADVERTISEMENT
"There is a lot of water yet to the south of us," he said. "This river does some strange things sometimes."
