"The Mouse that Roared"
BNSF 4838 East leads the last train to roll through downtown Minot before MOW took the second mainline out of service this afternoon, while the National Guard frantically continues to build emergency secondary levees to prevent the extremely swollen Souris/Mouse (Souris is French for Mouse) River from destroying more structures. While standing on the 3rd St NW overpass, the mood was definitely very eerie but at the same time, there was a sense of panic with everyone who walked by, even the members of the National Guard... The flood of 2011 has already broken the record for the 1969 flood, and the river is expected to rise another 11 feet by Saturday, per the National Weather Service.
Due to the flooding, BNSF is detouring Eastbound trains via the ex-NP line through Glendive, MT Mandan, ND and to Dilworth, MN. Westbound trains are running via the ex-MILW line, through Aberdeen, SD. Amtrak service has been cancelled between Saint Paul, MN and Havre, MT.
I must admit, it really is quite depressing moving to a new city, and only a week later the city is evacuated and there's the sense that Minot will never be the same. My Gavin Yard shuttle driver today was quoted "If everything is going good, I should have only 3 feet of water up the house by now.. If its as bad as they are saying it is, the water is over the roof.." When my instructor asked him what he left behind, he hung his head down and said "My brand new cabinets..." He was evacuated on Tuesday from his home of 34 years, and when he stepped out his front door, the water was already up to his porch....
