Minot ND Floods And Tornado Warnings

Another day of floods and apparently they also had a tornado warning as well.
From the Minot Daily News: A soggy city reeling from historic flooding inflicted by the destructive, powerful and punishing Souris River received an indication Saturday that the city's fall-back position might have endured the worst the Souris has to offer.
Three hours later, for the second time in the past few days, the city's warning sirens wailed eerily and loudspeakers announced a tornado warning. Heavy rains and wind pelted the troubled community. http://www.minotdailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/556139/Minot-area-sees-its-longest-day.html?nav=5010
Also, the City's drinking may be contaminated: The joyous mood was altered a few minutes later when it was revealed that Minot's water supply might have become contaminated at mid-day Saturday. Consequently, a "boil order" was issued, effective immediately
This should be no surprise as the water treatment plant is close to the river and if the river overflows and gets into the clean water, guess what happens. Happens in most floods.
The Minot School District also lost a couple of schools to the floods: The battle to protect Erik Ramstad Middle School failed late Friday night when water got behind a dike that had been built as high as the building.
"The water is over the roofline of the main floor," said incoming superintendent Mark Vollmer, who got a look at the damage from a Black Hawk helicopter on Saturday afternoon. "It fills up very quickly of course."
Lincoln Elementary is also in water, as is the Adult Learning Center and the Head Start building and Central Campus Plus, which houses the district's alternative school program for grades 9 and 10. The district also lost the fight to keep water out of Longfellow Elementary, which had stayed dry during the catastrophic flood of 1969. The National Guard had covered the school with Hesco barriers on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. But Friday night, water came up through the sewer lines in the school and came up through the ground behind the barriers, said Vollmer.
When it became clear that the effort to save Longfellow was futile, crews raced to protect Sunnyside Elementary. A night long sandbagging effort seems to have been successful.
http://www.minotdailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/556140/Flooding-makes-victims-of-Minot-schools.html?nav=5010
Again, good luck to Minot. I used to live there and there are a lot of good people living and working there. I wish i could help, but if yu are in the giving mood, i would suggest the Salvation Army.
The Salvation Army has this statement: With more Salvation Army teams en route from Fargo and the Twin Cities, staff and volunteers are providing food, water and emotional support in Minot and nearby cities while flood crews scramble to raise levees. With parts of Minot already underwater, the Souris River is expected to crest this weekend. Effective immediately, the Minot Salvation Army needs volunteers to prepare sandwiches and distribute food from mobile kitchens. For more information, call 701-838-8925.“The Salvation Army’s feeding efforts will continue for weeks to come,” said Major Donald Kincaid, Minot Salvation Army administrator. “After the floodwaters recede, we will additionally offer clean-up kits and long-term support.”Limited financial assistance is and will be available for qualifying households displaced by the flood. To learn more, call 701-838-8925.“The Salvation Army has served in Minot since 1896,” Kincaid said. “This is our town, too. We are committed to serving this community the best we can, for as long as we are needed.”
The Minot Salvation Army needs financial support now and in the months ahead to cover the cost of its disaster response. To make a $10 donation, text “MINOT” to 80888 and reply “yes” to the confirmation text. A one-time donation of $10 will be added to your mobile phone bill. Messaging and data rates may apply. For terms, see www.igfn.org/t. http://thesalarmy.org/news/06.23.11minotflood.htm