MissouriRiver basingovernors say they’re hoping that increasing the monitoring of the plains snowpack will help prevent future flood damage. Prairie Public's Dave Thompson reports/
The governors have been discussing ways to prevent something like the devastating 2011 flood from happening again. And at a meeting in Bismarck, they heard about plans by the Corps of Engineers and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA) to put more gauges in the plains. The Corps and NOAA say while there are a number of gauges in place to assess snowpack in the mountains, there is a need for better information from the plains.
"We'll much better be able to predict more quickly a flood event, such as what occurred in 2011," said South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard. "And with that better, early information, it will allow those who are impacted to prepare more quickly and protect themselves better."
North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple agrees.
"Days do matter in these things," said Dalrymple. "The amount of time that you have to release more water does decrease the stage, or the level, of the flood crest. That, of course, is the goal."
The Governors were also updated on repairs to levees and other infrastructure. The Corps said while a lot of progress has been made, there is more to do.
