DISASTER

Fargo Under Water

Red River has highest crest since 1897.

Fargo is in danger of being swallowed by a flood as the nearby Red River rises to 40.18 feet, breaking the April 7, 1897 record of 40.10 feet. The city of 92,000, with help from 900 members of the National Guard, has been piling sandbags along the river in subfreezing temperatures to help citizens avoid having to evacuate their homes. But still the crest grows. "I've lived here 40 years and over a 30-minute span I've reached a point where I'm preparing to evacuate and expect never to sleep in my house again," says one resident. After authorities found cracks in one set of levees on Thursday, one neighborhood was evacuated. Other towns in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Manitoba are under threat from the river crest.