Mixed Feelings

The BBC reports on more flooding in the Northern Prairies: North Dakota city Minot evacuates amid flooding fears

Authorities in Minot in the state of North Dakota have told roughly 12,000 residents to leave their homes immediately, as the Souris River threatens to flood.

Sirens sounded throughout the city around 1300 local time (1800 GMT), alerting residents of an impending deadline to evacuate.

“All residents must evacuate, Zones one through nine,” an announcement said.

Heavy rainfall has bloated the river, which flows down from Canada.

The Souris River is expected to hit nearly 1,563ft (476m) above sea level this weekend, topping the previous flood record set in 1881.

Canada has been dealing with the flooding along the Souris for weeks, so this has been a slow moving disaster.

Nothing against the people who were born and raised there, but there is an Air Force Base and ICBM missile silos outside of Minot. If you were in the Strategic Air Command, Minot AFB was the equivalent of Hell. That’s where you were sent if you really screwed up. Minot was considered a credible threat to people stationed at Shemya in the Aleutians.

I feel bad for the North Dakotans, but if the Base were seriously damaged and the DoD decided to close it, there would be a lot of happy campers in the Air Force.

Update: Dr Masters has more on the flooding and a map showing the connection to the Assiniboine which joins the Red River at Winnipeg. The Prairie Provinces have been dealing with the system since early Spring, and eastern North Dakota had to deal with the Red River going over the flood stage.

All of the reservoirs in the area are full, and there is nowhere left to hold the water.