FTA Hacker
New member
Minot, North Dakota (CNN) -- Three recovery centers will open Monday in North Dakota -- two in Minot and one in Bismarck -- for residents in the throes of record-settings floods.
Residents can visit the locations to find out about assistance programs and have their questions answered, Gov. Jack Dalrymple said. But, he said, it is not necessary for residents to visit the centers to register for disaster assistance, which can be done by telephone or online.
Dalrymple said a tour of the area Sunday was "sobering, to say the least."
The Souris River at Minot crested at 1,561.72 feet above sea level Sunday morning, the National Weather Service said -- below earlier predictions but still almost 4 feet above an 1881 record. Water levels had fallen to 1,561.4 feet by early Monday, according to the weather service website.
"At this point, the river has had its crest so far in Minot, but a number of locations downstream still have some high water yet to come," said Richard Kinney, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Bismarck, North Dakota.
A crest is defined as the high point of the water during a flood before it begins to recede.
A boil-water order, issued as a precaution Saturday, remained in effect. Minot officials told residents that tap water should be boiled for at least a minute before consuming in order to kill any dangerous organisms.
Republican Rep. Rick Berg said he had been in touch with officials in Washington -- which has authorized FEMA to grant assistance -- and expressed optimism that the government will work well with residents to overcome the challenges.
"You're seeing people at the highest levels working together, putting politics behind them," said North Dakota's lone congressman.
Berg, though, cautioned that the "marathon" was far from over.
The weather service forecast doesn't show the Souris River falling below the level of the 1881 flood in less than a week. The river remained more than 12 feet above flood stage Monday morning.
Minot Mayor Curt Zimbelman reminded residents not to enter the evacuation zone.
But many residents of Minot, who evacuated ahead of the rising water, returned to the area Sunday, hoping to catch a glimpse of their homes, said CNN's Jim Spellman.
Spellman said when he toured the hardest-hit area by boat, several residents gave him their addresses and asked him to check on their homes. Everyone was hoping their home might be the one that was spared, he said, but he had to bring back bad news.
"It's a somber feeling, sitting here," said resident Steve Knab. He recalled "listening to the sirens go off, and they evacuated us, and coming back the next day and seeing this ... it's disheartening."
But, he said, "we'll get there. We're healthy."
Evacuee Robin Taylor said residents have been helping one another. When her family had to evacuate in a hurry, neighbors on both sides pitched in, she said.
Jim Sarroll has lived in Minot his entire life. He has sandbagged his home, located just outside the evacuation zone, with the help of neighbors, and said Sunday it is dry for now.
He is, however, very concerned about the water. "I flushed my toilet this morning, and the water was red," he said.
Still, he said he is able to see the positives when neighbors, relatives and friends bond to get through a disaster the best they can.
The focal point in Minot continues to be the Broadway Bridge, a critical north-south route through town. Officials have been working round-the-clock to prevent the Souris from inundating nearby routes, all part of larger efforts aimed at preventing Minot from effectively being split in half by the flooding.
"It's really important that (Broadway) bridge stays open," said Cecily Fong, spokeswoman for the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services.
While the river has crested in Minot, the worst is yet to come for other North Dakota cities and towns.
In Sawyer, "we'll be approaching peak levels over next 24 hours," meteorologist Patrick Ayd of the National Weather Service in Bismarck said Sunday. Water levels in Velva are expected to peak Monday or Tuesday.
The situation prompted the evacuation Saturday of Sawyer's 350 residents as water from the Souris River began to slosh up a main street through town, according to the U.S. Corps of Engineers.
Ken and Janelle Herslip's house -- less than a mile from the Souris -- was one of those flooded on Sunday.
Even though a crew of more than three dozen friends and family helped them evacuate on Monday -- scouring the house for everything that wasn't attached to the walls -- Ken Herslip said Saturday his wife was still devastated.
"We've had many homes over our life, and she finally got the house of her dreams," he said. "She is absolutely devastated, bawling all the time."
Herslip, who built the house, isn't so busted up. No one was hurt, and they can build again, he said.
Still, he said, "it will never be the same."