BISMARCK, N.D. — Demolition crews blasted chunks of ice near a huge ice jam in the Missouri River on Wednesday in a bid to open a channel, like pulling out a giant plug to drain a flood threatening the city. Officials planned two more rounds of explosives.
“We are cautiously optimistic,” Bismarck Mayor John Warford said after explosives detonated on about 500 feet of ice just south of the jam. Water backing up behind the dam of car-size ice blocks already had forced the evacuation of about 1,700 people from low-lying areas in North Dakota’s capital city.
Meanwhile, on the eastern side of the state, volunteers continued stacking sandbags to protect Fargo amid new concern over the rising Red River. After days of predicting a crest ranging from 39 to 41 feet, the National Weather Service settled on the higher number.
City officials said they would build their dikes a foot higher than planned, to 43 feet, and would distribute evacuation information to residents today. The river was projected to crest Saturday afternoon.
Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker described 41 feet as “uncharted territory.” The Red River’s record high at Fargo was 40.1 feet in 1897.
Police Chief Keith Ternes urged people with disabilities to consider leaving the city, saying: “If they expect us to get to them and get them out, they should give serious consideration.”
The threat of flooding comes on the heels of a blizzard on Monday and Tuesday. The National Weather Service said 2 to 4 inches of snow is expected in Bismarck today, while up to 1 inch is expected in Fargo.
