Last week’s heavy snow led to moderate flooding throughout southwest North Dakota as temperatures heated up. But there were few incidents Monday night and Tuesday as waters rose quickly and receded nearly as fast.
The most pressing problems the area faced was overland flooding in rural areas and at the Camp on the Heart campground in Dickinson, where flooding displaced about five RVs parked along the Heart River.
Dave Bren, a partner with The Fisher Group, which owns the campground, said the outlook was good Monday morning after nearly a day’s worth of work. Rock Solid Express had been building an earthen dike at the campground since Monday evening to keep the water at bay.
“Camp on the Heart, that’s pretty much as bad as it is anywhere,” said Laural Mattson, the deputy director of emergency services for Stark County.
A considerable amount of water was discharged from the Dickinson Dam and is working its way through the area. Most of the area’s remaining snow disappeared Tuesday as temperatures reached the upper 60s. Highs in the low 70s are forecasted for Wednesday.
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The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory for Stark County, southwestern Dunn County and southeastern Billings County on Monday night because of snow melting into the Heart River and Green River basins as well as small creeks and streams. The advisory was set to expire at 9 a.m. Tuesday but was extended 24 hours to Wednesday morning.
Pat Rummel, a deputy with the Billings County Sheriff’s Office and the county’s emergency manager, said the Little Missouri River didn’t reach flood stage but that many creeks were running over their banks, including Davis Creek and Magpie Creek. Both had “gone down considerably” by Tuesday afternoon, he said.
Rummel said a driver in the northern part of the county got stuck trying to go through a low, water-covered crossing on Tuesday. He cautioned motorists to steer clear when water is running over a road.
“Some of these low water crossings, you don’t know what’s underneath them,” he said.
The Stark County Department of Emergency Services also stressed that residents use situational awareness and caution when driving or walking near high waters.
Dunn County Emergency Manager Denise Brew said Spring Creek in Zap is full and that the Knife River was high on Monday but has since gone back to normal.
“We have one road that is close because water went over it twice and it needs repair,” she said.
