Hoeven To Coordinate With Wahpeton, Jamestown Officials In Preparation For Flooding

Press Release

Gov. John Hoeven today will coordinate with officials from Wahpeton, Jamestown and surrounding communities regarding flood fighting efforts over the next few weeks. He met with Fargo City officials last Friday to coordinate flood response efforts there, and subsequently approved deployment of National Guard troops to help with preparations for the flood fight.

Hoeven will meet with Wahpeton Mayor James Sturdevant and the mayors of other outlying communities at about noon, and Jamestown city and county officials at approximately 2 p.m. at their respective city halls.

Also on Friday, the Army Corps of Engineers announced it will increase outflows from both Jamestown and the Pipestem Reservoirs due to abnormally high snowpack conditions and recent rains. The Corps is recommending to the City of Jamestown and Stutsman County that the emergency levees be designed for a maximum combined release of 3,200 cubic feet per second, similar to emergency levees installed in 2009. Hoeven formally requested that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District provide the communities with direct assistance for protection against flows of up to that level.

The North Dakota National Guard will begin mobilizing Soldiers and Airman to begin flood operations for Region 4 today and tomorrow. Region 4 consists of the following counties in southeast North Dakota: Steele, Traill, Barnes, Cass, Ransom, Sargent and Richland.

Hoeven said 300 to 400 Guardsmen are being mobilized with boots on the ground by Tuesday. They will begin 12-hour shifts fulfilling a variety of flood operation missions, including traffic control, logistical and supply support, sandbagging and creating rows of HESCO barriers.

At the same time, Hoeven today issued an executive order waiving service hour restrictions for commercial truck drivers until 12:01 a.m. CDT on April 1, 2010, or for the duration of the emergency. The move is intended to expedite the delivery of sand, sandbags and other flood-fighting equipment to communities statewide. All road safety and vehicle compliance regulations still apply and will be fully enforced.

The Governor announced Sunday that the President has approved his request for a federal declaration for the State of North Dakota under the Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance (Stafford) Act due to weather conditions and forecasts indicating a strong potential for severe spring flooding. As the state and communities around the state prepare for flooding, The State Emergency Operation Center today was elevated from Level 3 to Level 2.

The State of North Dakota and multiple communities and counties are already allocating resources and preparing for widespread flooding. Based on the extensive flood preparedness efforts underway in communities throughout the state, the President granted the Governor's request for direct federal assistance for emergency protective measures addressing property protection and public health and safety. These emergency protective measures include a range of assistance for communities to prepare for flooding.

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