Fridley 'Encouraged,' Cautious at New Flood Forecast

A less treacherous flood forecast from the National Weather Service has the City of Fridley "encouraged" but not complacent.

The latest forecast, for the Mississippi River to fall short of its 1997 high-water mark by as much as four feet, doesn't take into account precipitation beyond what's fallen and is foreseeable, noted Director of Public Safety Don Abbott in a news release Wednesday. Even if the new forecast proves correct, a second crest, carrying water from the spring melt, could be worse.

Other developments announced in the release:

• The city bought concrete barriers to build a temporary levee at Riverview Terrace and 79th Way if needed.
• The city has added Saturday hours, 9 a.m.–3 p.m., for property owners to at the Public Works building.
• The National Weather Service has begun issuing daily river-level readings and predictions for the Mississippi River at 45th Avenue NE. The NWS has the same information for 86th Avenue NE, just upstream from Fridley.

Here is the full text of the City of Fridley's March 23 news release:

No Warnings/Statements/Advisories are in effect for the Mississippi River in Fridley area.

Updated NWS Forecast
The National Weather Service  has now begun issuing detailed daily river level predictions for the Mississippi River at 45th Ave NE.  This forecast, which extends out seven days, predicts a peak level of 13.1 feet occurring next weekend.  This level is 4 feet below the 1997 level and nearly 7 feet below the record flood of 1965.  Forecasters caution, however, that these predictions took into account only that precipitation already on the ground and that amount forecast to fall prior to 7 a.m. this morning, Wednesday March 23.  The NWS also indicates that significant snow melt has not yet occurred in the upper Mississippi basin, causing them to warn of a second crest this spring.  They also caution that the second crest could be higher than the first, but that significant uncertainty makes it difficult to predict river levels this spring.

City Preparations
The City of Fridley, while encouraged by the new forecast and predictions, continues to prepare for major flooding in the event it still occurs.  Over the past weeks, City Staff has worked to inspect waterways, outfalls, and critical equipment.  In addition, the City has prepared contingency plans in the event major flooding were to exceed the Riverview Terrace levee.  This existing levee will protect the Riverview Heights neighborhood to 1997 flood levels, but would be topped by a record flood.  Earlier this week, the City located and purchased a large quantity of concrete barriers that could be used to erect a temporary levee providing approximately 2 feet of additional protection along 79th Way and Riverview Terrace.  This barricade could be deployed in a matter of a few days if needed this year and will also be maintained by the City for this use in future years if necessary.

Material Assistance Program Update
A few residents have already availed themselves of sandbags and sand from the City’s Material Assistance Program established in response to this spring’s threatened flooding.  Details of this program have been published previously and are provided on the City website (www.ci.fridley.mn.us).  Additional hours have been added at the Fridley Public Works Garage for residents to pick up sandbags.  In addition to regular hours of 7:00 a.m. –3:00 p.m. Monday – Friday, bags will be available for pickup on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

With proof of residency/identification, residents may obtain up to 100 sandbags free of charge and can obtain larger quantities of sandbags and sand at the cost of material and delivery.  City crews continue to maintain several neighborhood sand piles for residents to fill their sandbags.  Maps to the sites, and directions on building sandbag floodwalls, are available on the City website or at the Public Works Garage.  The City is not recommending that every resident needs to erect levees, as that is a decision that only property owners can make.  Residents are encouraged to keep up to date on NWS flood forecasts and to use that information with their past experience and knowledge of flood risk factors associated with their specific property to plan ahead and decide if and when sandbagging is necessary.

Be Alert to Changing Conditions and Predictions
Residents are encouraged to monitor flood forecasts issued by the National Weather Service, which have and may again change significantly based upon precipitation and/or other new information or developments.  The links to the National Weather Service Forecast website, and many other flood-related resources, are available on or through the City’s website at www.ci.fridley.mn.us