Water filling 2,500 homes in Minot as river rises

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110624/ap_on_re_us/us_north_dakota_flooding;_ylt=Akq8ke8Q.1hQfQxhxBlM_FSs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNvNm1zcmhoBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTEwNjI0L3VzX25vcnRoX2Rha290YV9mbG9vZGluZwRjY29kZQNtb3N0cG9wdWxhcgRjcG9zAzIEcG9zAzYEcHQDaG9tZV9jb2tlBHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcnkEc2xrA3dhdGVyZmlsbGluZw--

By DAVE KOLPACK, Associated Press – 3 mins ago

MINOT, N.D. – The Souris River's full weight hit Minot on Friday, swamping an estimated 2,500 homes as it soared nearly 4 feet in less than a day and overwhelmed the city's levees. City officials said they expected more than 4,000 homes to be flooded by day's end.
More than a quarter of the city's 40,000 residents evacuated earlier this week, packing any belongings they hoped to save into cars, trucks and trailers.
"The river's coming up rapidly," Mayor Curt Zimbelman said. "It's dangerous and we need to stay away."

Fed by heavy rains upstream and dam releases that have accelerated in recent days, the Souris surged past a 130-year-old record Friday and kept going. The river was nearly 5 feet above major flood stage Friday afternoon and expected to crest over the weekend after reaching more than 8 1/2 feet beyond major flood stage.


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