YEAR AGO: FEMA Center Opens - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

YEAR AGO: FEMA Center Opens

One year ago today, thousands of people living along the Mouse River in North Dakota were realizing their homes were being heavily damaged by flood water.

On June 27th, 2011, the level of the river was still a week away from dropping below the previous all-time high.
And people were getting more - and closer - looks at flooded neighborhoods.
Meanwhile, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was opening a walk-in center where residents could register information about their evacuation, and to start the process of qualifying for emergency relief.
A private disaster relief group also opened up shop one year ago today - the Convoy of Hope was handing out bottled water and other essentials to flood victims.

(Evacuee) "This is wonderful what they're doing for the citizens of Minot."
"It's pretty amazing, it's a big deal.  Yeah, cars are just lining up and down there and they're really taking care of people and it's really an amazing thing."

Just west of Minot, there was a success story to report.  On June 27th, 2011 residents of Del Nor Drive were discovering that the levee they had pitched in to build had succeeded in holding back the Mouse River. That meant instead of water covering their homes, they were dry.

(Max Weppler) "We didn't do anything better or harder than anyone else. It just worked. There was a miracle down here."

in very many places as Mouse River water settled in for two full weeks above the 1969 flood crest level.