Flood — Grand Forks, North Dakota

2006-04-01 to 2006-04-22 · near Countywide, Grand Forks, North Dakota

Event narrative

The Red River at Grand Forks/East Grand Forks rose above flood stage around 4 PM CST on March 31st and remained above flood stage until around 6 PM CST on April 22nd. The river peaked at roughly 47.85 feet around 2 AM CST on April 6th. Unofficially, 47.85 feet would be the fifth highest modern-day river stage recorded. The Red Lake River crest actually arrived in the Grand Forks/East Grand Forks area prior to the Red River crest. Overland flooding also occurred in addition to the river flooding, with many roads around the county closed due to flooding. In the Minto area, U.S. Highway 81 was closed. The Red River bridge east of Thompson (ND) was closed due to flooding. In the city of Grand Forks, the Sorlie and the Point Red River bridges were also closed. This left the U.S. Highway 2 bridge as the only Red River crossing open in the county. Flooding problems occurred for about 50 homes at southeast edge of the city of Grand Forks, along Adams Drive and Lake Drive. A number of homes built close to the Red River were cutoff due to floodwaters, while others needed to be sandbagged. Also in Grand Forks, the permanent levee system (see below) was only about 85 percent complete. Therefore, some sections of temporary diking had to be done. Flood wall sections across Demers Avenue had to be installed. A 57 year-old Manvel woman drove into a flooded ditch at the Manvel Interstate 29 exit after work. After refusing assistance from a passing motorist, she attempted to walk home. She was later found drowned in a nearby flooded ditch. After the spring flood of 1997, many communities along the Red River looked at ways to mitigate flood effects. The permanent levee system constructed around Grand Forks got its first test and performed well. The English Coulee Diversion around the west and north sides of the city of Grand Forks also kept water out of the city as they were designed to do. Many low-lying or flood-prone neighborhoods close to the river were bought out and razed, which allowed the river to spread out into a wider channel through the city. Grand Forks 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 5502719. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.