Flood — Norman, Minnesota

2006-04-01 to 2006-04-17 · near Countywide, Norman, Minnesota

Event narrative

The Red River at Halstad (MN) rose above flood stage around 4 PM CST on March 31st and remained above flood stage until around 3 AM CST on April 17th. The river peaked at roughly 39.31 feet around 8 PM CST on April 6th. Unofficially, 39.31 feet would be the third highest modern-day river stage recorded. The second highest modern-day river stages (unofficial) were recorded on the Wild Rice River at Hendrum (32.39 feet on April 5th) and on the Marsh River at Shelly (25.03 feet on April 3rd). Overland flooding also occurred in addition to the river flooding, with over 75 roads around the county closed due to flooding. Red River bridges at Perley (MN), Hendrum (MN), and Shelly (MN) were all closed. This left the State Highway 200 bridge as the only open Red River bridge between Fargo/Moorhead and Grand Forks/East Grand Forks. U.S. Highway 75 was closed in spots in western Norman County. Roads were also closed south and west of Ada. East of Perley and Hendrum, water completely covered at least a dozen sections of land, stranding several herds of cattle. The Minnesota Governor authorized the National Guard to assist in the flood fight, working on dike patrols, security, and traffic control. Classes were cancelled from April 3rd through the 5th at Norman County West School in Halstad, for flood fighting and to make room for the Minnesota Guard troops. A mile south of Halstad, a woman drove around a barricaded (flooded) road and was swept off the road and into a nearby flooded farm field. Two people passing by rushed to her aid and rescued her. All 3 people suffered minor hypothermia from being in the cold water. After the spring flood of 1997, many communities along the Red River looked at ways to mitigate flood effects. Permanent dikes held in the Halstad and Hendrum, so most of the flood fighting took place at rural farmsteads. Norman County received a Presidential Disaster Declaration for damages caused by spring flooding.In summary, the total public and private flood losses experienced within the Red River of the North basin through late March and April 2006 were likely in excess of $20 million. This includes the following amounts. For Minnesota state and local infrastructure (this total includes the damages listed for each county), $8.5 million. For North Dakota state and local infrastructure (this total includes the damages listed for each county), $8 million. For Federal agencies (USACE, USGS, and USCG), $1.5 million. For the transportation industry costs due to traffic diversions caused by prolonged road and bridge closures, $1.5 million. For personal property losses due to floodwaters surrounding more than 500 individual farmsteads and rural homesteads, $1.0 million.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5502278. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.