ST PAUL, Minn. — The leaders in the Capital City have been preparing for floods since last winter, knowing it was matter of when, not if, they'd be dealing with flooding along the Mississippi River.
The water that is now causing flooding in the Minnesota River Valley will soon be surging into the Mississippi, leading Saint Paul's Emergency Management Department and other of the city's agencies to implement their flood response plans.
"We didn’t expect the water to be rising this fast, especially this late in the spring and early summer," said Rick Schute, the city's Emergency Management director.
"We’ll continue along our flood action plan and putting the protective measures in to make sure that our systems stay safe and the infrastructure, the buildings and residential structures are safe despite the rising waters."
The most visible signs to motorists are closed roads. Shepherd Road that runs along the river behind the Science Museum and becomes Warner Road to the east was closed to traffic Sunday.
That's, in part, to keep sightseers at bay. But it was also needed, according to Schute, so that city crews and contractors could create a temporary earthen levee at the ends of Sibley and Jackson Streets, to protect the historic Lowertown area from the flood waters.
Where the high water is most visible is on the south bank of the river around Harriet Island Regional Park, where some of the picnic areas are already inundated. And the ramps to the river boats, which you'd normally walk down are now uphill climbs as the boats rise with the river.
That park and several others along the river are now closed. Pedestrians are still making their ways around the signs to get close to the water. Schute said it would be safer to watch the flood waters from a distance.
"Safety is our number one priority for residents and visitors. The river is very fast moving when it has this volume of water flowing through it," Schute said.
"It's just not a good time to test the temperature of the water or go for swim. It's best to observe from afar. Please pay attention to the signs and don't go around them."
Schute expects a major sand-bagging operation later this week to keep the flood waters off Holman Field, the Saint Paul Airport. That area has traditionally been one of the lowest and most flood-prone parts of the city.
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