Flood — Marshall, Minnesota

2006-04-01 to 2006-04-26 · near Countywide, Marshall, Minnesota

Event narrative

The Red River at Oslo rose above flood stage around 1 AM CST on April 1st and remained above flood stage until around 10 AM CST on April 26th. The river peaked at roughly 37.70 feet around 8 PM CST on April 6th. Unofficially, 37.70 feet would be the fourth highest modern-day river stage recorded. The highest modern-day river stage of 11.16 feet (unofficial) was recorded on the Snake River at Alvarado on April 2nd. The Red River spread well out of it banks from around Oslo northward, essentially becoming a lake. Overland flooding also occurred in addition to the river flooding, with many roads around the county closed due to flooding. The ring-diked town of Oslo was completely surrounded by flood water. Minnesota State Highway 1 was closed east of Oslo and State Highway 220 was closed in spots north of Oslo. The Red River bridge at Oslo was closed during the peak of the flood as was the Red River bridge east of Grafton (ND). With Oslo being cut off, 20 of the town's children could not attend their school in Warren. For several days, these children gathered at the Oslo American Legion building to keep up with classwork. The Minnesota Governor authorized the National Guard to assist in the flood fight, working on dike patrols, security, and traffic control. Several Coast Guard units were brought in to assist residents with emergencies through the use of airboats and helicopters. After the spring flood of 1997, many communities along the Red River looked at ways to mitigate flood effects. Oslo is the only community located next to the Red River and its ring dike kept the floodwaters at bay. Marshall 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 5502358. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.