Thousands of ND homes suffer flood damage
Around 12,000 residents of Minot, North Dakota, were forced from their homes after the Souris River surpassed a 130-year-old record for flooding.
Though around 4,100 structures in the city were damaged, only about 375 homes had flood coverage, which is not available through standard homeowners insurance, reports Reuters. The river flooded four feet beyond the previous record set in 1881, and it should stay at that level through the Fourth of July, said the report. The Associated Press added weekend flooding actually came short of forecasts - the river was projected to crest to 8.5 feet above major flood stage but only reached 6.5 feet past that level.
"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," Sergeant 1st Clas David Dodds, a spokesman for North Dakota's National Guard, told the AP.
Minot and surrounding towns have had to endure historic flooding after heavy snows and rains fell this year, but the New York Times reports a recent analysis in the journal Science says drought conditions may actually take grip in the region over the next few years.
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