JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – Officials and experts with different agencies were in Jamestown Wednesday evening to give the latest information on potential for 2020 spring flood threats.
The North Dakota State Water Commission, National Weather Service, Department of Emergency Services, FEMA, Army Corps of Engineers and more gave detailed information on the latest information.
Stutsman County Emergency Manager Jerry Bergquist stated that the intention of the meeting was to just provide information to help residents take steps to prepare their property.
Allen Schlag, Hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Bismarck, reported that rainfall and snow accumulation in 2019 made 2019 the wettest on record for North Dakota.
Schlag says looking at soil moisture in the region, soil moisture is as high as it’s ever been. He says he’s also watching the snow/water equivalent.
Schlag says they will be issuing spring flood outlooks on February 13th, February 27th, and March 12th. He says these flood outlooks will be their best estimates for flooding across the state.
Matthew Buddie with FEMA Region VII also spoke on flood insurance, encouraging everyone to consider purchasing insurance if they haven’t already done so.
Dionne Haynes, State National Floodplain Insurance Program Coordinator, shared the North Dakota State Water Commission ND Risk Assessment Map Service (NDRAM).
Jessica Batterman, North Dakota Army Corps of Engineers, is the regulating engineer for Pipestem Dam and Jamestown Reservoir. She says they’re looking at three variables in order to predict what type of runoff they may see this spring. They include soil conditions, snowpack, and air temperatures.
Batterman says based on conditions, they should reach 0 flood storage at the Jamestown Reservoir and Pipestem Dam by March. She says they should be able to handle releases if snowfall brings around 4″ of added moisture.
Resources for individuals to check out include floodsmart.gov, ready.gov, ndresponse.gov, and swc.nd.gov.