Just as the Red River began retreating from Fargo's hastily fortified levees, the city's tired residents stared down a winter storm yesterday expected to bring up to 35 cm of snow and wind-whipped waves that could worsen the flooding.

Engineers weren't worried about the snow, but waves that could crash against the sandbag levees, further weakening them. The forecast called for the storm to move in by early afternoon yesterday and last until today evening

The higher the wind speed, the higher the threat, Jeff DeZellar, a spokesman for the US Army Corps of Engineers, said yesterday. The forecast is for winds of 40 kmph and "certainly that's enough wind to create some wave action on the river", he said.

Despite the expected snow, forecasters are optimistic that by the time it starts melting, river levels will have receded even more. The Red River dropped slightly to 12 meters early yesterday but still nearly 7 meters above flood stage. City officials have said they would breathe easier when the river falls to 11 meters or lower, expected by Saturday.

It will be a long week waiting to see if the levees - quickly constructed last week by Fargo's men, women and children - can hold firm. The National Guard was placing a layer of poly, a plastic-type sheeting, over the levees to help them hold up against high waves.

The flood was caused by an enormous winter snowfall that melted and combined with more precipitation to send the river to record levels. The river flows from south to north through the tabletop terrain of North Dakota, providing few opportunities to drain.

"The place is so flat," said John Gulliver, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Minnesota. "There's really no place for the water to go because it can't leave that quickly. So it just keeps backing up like a bathtub with a slow drain."

Fargo officials say they have limited the damage to a small number of homes within the city limits, but several outlying areas have seen significant flooding.

AP

(China Daily 03/31/2009 page11)