FEMA Dispatched to North Dakota

Levees along the Red River are cracking from the pressure of a record 40-foot crest, leaving 92,000 people in Fargo, North Dakota plus towns in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Manitoba under threat. The White House has responded by dispatching FEMA's active head, Nancy Ward, to the area. President Obama has also been in touch with the governors of North Dakota and Minnesota, press secretary Robert Gibbs said today. Fargo is in danger of being swallowed by a flood as the nearby Red River rises to 40.3 feet, breaking the 1897 record of 40.10 feet and smashing through the 22-foot flood stage. National Guard officers have been piling sandbags along the river in subfreezing temperatures to help citizens avoid having to evacuate their homes.