Cass County is gearing up its 2023 flood fight this week, and they are starting with aiming to fill 200,000 sandbags by the weekend.
This includes 115,000 sandbags for Cass County, 80,000 for Fargo and 5,000 for West Fargo. Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney says two spider machines are ready to go at “Sandbag Cass,” at the Cass County Highway Department located at 1201 Main Avenue in West Fargo. Volunteers are still needed for shifts throughout this week, and can be signed up for online.
Division engineer Nathan Boerboom says officials are planning to fortify protections from the rising Red River up to a crest of 38 feet, with due diligence up to 39 feet. He says different emergency measures are required for different river levels.
"If we had a 37 foot crest, we'd still be required to have a mile of emergency measures. At a 38 foot crest, which is what we are still planning for today, for our planning purposes - is two miles of emergency measures. But on a 39 foot crest, we'd need six miles of emergency measures. And that's where our 80,000 number comes from."
Cass County Commissioner Chad Peterson says he knows that varying forecasts of river levels and numbers of sandbags may be overwhelming to anyone new to the area – but he wants to assure people that they are in capable hands.
"Know that we are good at fighting floods - know that this local government is here to support you as you see fit. This used to be a big deal for us; sandbags in every backyard up and down North Fargo, sandbags up and down in the rural areas. It was impactful. Now it is impactful, but less so. We still have to do our due diligence, we have to plan and prepare. We still have to make our sandbags and volunteer our time. And for all of you that are going to volunteer - I am so grateful for you."
Peterson also emphasized that now is not the time to avoid asking for help if it’s needed. He says there are plenty of resources available locally to assist anyone in fighting this year’s flood.
Two informational open meetings will take place this week for anyone with questions or concerns. They will be at the FargoDome on Wednesday, April 12 and at Sky Commons in the Civic Center Thursday, April 13. Both meetings will begin at 5:30pm and end and 7pm.