Flood of 69 - Set Up For Disaster

There s been plenty of talk about spring flooding this year as record snowfall could mean record runoff this spring It was 40 years ago this April that the andamp lt a href andamp quot http www kxnet com t souris-ndandamp quot class andamp quot kxInlineLinkandamp quot andamp gt Sourisandamp lt aandamp gt Valley was devastated by flood water that spilled out of the Mouse River Tonight we begin a series of stories looking back at the 1969 Mouse River Disaster and the stories of tragedy and triumph during that unbelievable time The Mouse River it s typically a quiet and complacent neighbor for many who live in the Souris Valley The Mouse was known for spilling over its banks It flooding the valley in 1904 and again in 1916 1923 1927 and 1928 But then the Mouse was quiet not a peep until it roared to life in the spring of 1969 Doroles Haaland andamp lt a href andamp quot http www kxnet com t minot-ndandamp quot class andamp quot kxInlineLinkandamp quot andamp gt Minotandamp lt aandamp gt Resident andamp quot I know that we expected that it might flood but we had no idea that it would flood at the magnitude that it did andamp quot Snowfall was heavy North Central andamp lt a href andamp quot http www kxnet com t north-dakotaandamp quot class andamp quot kxInlineLinkandamp quot andamp gt North Dakotaandamp lt aandamp gt in 1969 but not enough to worry people about flooding who lived along the Souris Valley that is until late March Word slowly trickled down that heavy snow north in the Canadian Souris River Basin was melting and water was being released from the boundary reservoir in andamp lt a href andamp quot http www kxnet com t canadaandamp quot class andamp quot kxInlineLinkandamp quot andamp gt Canadaandamp lt aandamp gt into a tributary of the Mouse to get ready for that runoff Daryle Kramer was the administrative manager for the highway Department in Minot in 69 and remembers flying north of the border to get a birds eye view of the situation Daryl Kramer Highway Department Administrative Mgr We went all the way up to the andamp lt a href andamp quot http www kxnet com t mooseandamp quot class andamp quot kxInlineLinkandamp quot andamp gt Mooseandamp lt aandamp gt Mountains edit and from the Moose Mountains all the way down to the Canadian Line the whole valley was full of water and that was on it s way to Minot However that would take some time south of the border in the U S temperatures were still below freezing and the water froze in the Mouse channel before ever reaching lake Darling By April 6th Easter Sunday the mercury was on the rise Temperatures climbed to well past 40 degrees and the Des Lacs River Basin another tributary of the Mouse was melting fast Hardy Lieberg and his family had just moved into their new home two blocks west of Perkett school six months before and were celebrating that Easter Weekend Hardy Lieberg 4th House Flooded in 69 andamp quot We had just finished up the lower level In fact that easter weekend when it all started was the first weekend we celebrated down in that lower level andamp quot Lieberg says he remembers late that Sunday there was quite a bit of commotion off to the west Hardy Lieberg 4th House Flooded in 69 We went out and looked and Roger thought because of the snow they were having some backup problems and they were opening drains and that kind of stuff We just went to bed and didn t worry about it andamp quot Bob Scandamp lt a href andamp quot http www kxnet com t hempandamp quot class andamp quot kxInlineLinkandamp quot andamp gt hempandamp lt aandamp gt and his family were also returning late that day from celebrating the holiday out of town that weekend and drove right past the river in Minot Bob Schemp Worked For City of Minot in 69 andamp quot We drove into town and were on 16th St SW and went past Oak Park and saw the rive and said oh my goodness what s going on the river was bank full andamp quot But the river rise was only beginning The Des Lacs river that flows into the Mouse just west of Minot was flooding and was quickly pushing the mouse of it s banks Hardy Lieberg 4th House Flooded in 69 andamp quot We had a knock at the door it was to tell us that we should probably pack up as much as we could and get out because they were just brining our neighbor out by boat down just a block from our house andamp quot With water at the first door steps in Minot the evacuations had begun the first sandbags were being filled and temporary dikes were being built Hardy Lieberg 4th House Flooded in 69 andamp quot We thought this can t be happening to use andamp quot It was and it was also happening all along the river in Minot Daryle Kramer also lived on 3rd Avenue Northwest just east of Oak Park Daryle Kramer Highway Department Administrative Mgr andamp quot It overflowed and just came down the street about a foot deep and just kept coming and coming and coming andamp quot Water was on rise from the Des Lacs run-off but the rest of the Mouse River to the North was just now starting to thaw and many in the Magic City still had no idea how bad it was going to get The 40th Anniversary of the 1969 Mouse River Disaster will continue tomorrow andamp lt a href andamp quot http www kxnet com t shaun-sipmaandamp quot class andamp quot kxInlineLinkandamp quot andamp gt Shaun Sipmaandamp lt aandamp gt KX News You can take part in the 40th Anniversary of the 1969 Mouse River Disaster by going online at www kxnet com and clicking on the 69 Flood link There you can view our stories and write your own experience and even upload pictures