The Souris River neared its crest Saturday in Minot, where city officials hoped to ride out the high water without losing more than the thousands of homes already damaged by flooding, according to AP. The river had been expected to peak Saturday evening at some 8.5 feet (2.6 meters) above major flood stage, but it appeared to be leveling off hours earlier as it approached 6.5 feet (2 meters) over that mark. Damage was already widespread, with Mayor Curt Zimbelman reporting more than 4,000 homes had been flooded in an evacuation zone of neighborhoods nearest the river. About 11,000 people were ordered out earlier this week. Sgt. 1st Class David Dodds, a spokesman for North Dakota's National Guard, said the situation had «kind of stabilized» Saturday. The Souris' channel wasn't getting any wider. «The fact that more homes aren't being engulfed or being touched by the water, that's the one silver lining if you can even say there is one,» Dodds said. City spokesman Dean Lenertz said updated estimates of the flood's toll were being prepared. The city's water, sewer and electric power systems were still working. Workers labored to keep the Broadway Bridge, a major north-south thoroughfare, from being overwhelmed, a possibility that would divide the city in half. Zimbelman and others had fretted about rain in the forecast, but the National Weather Service said the storms didn't appear to be widespread or long-lasting. Fed by heavy rains upstream and dam releases that have accelerated in recent days, the Souris surged past a 130-year-old record Friday and kept going. The Federal Emergency Management Agency pledged assistance to flood victims in Burleigh and Ward counties, which include Minot and Bismarck, the state capital, which has been damaged by Missouri River flooding.
