significant flood of between and . As preparations began for the flooding on March 16, North Dakota Governor John Hoeven declared a statewide disaster in anticipation of flooding across the state. On March 19, the National Weather Service raised the predicted flood level in the Fargo area to between and . The city began filling sandbags on March 20. In anticipation of a rain and snow storm, the predicted crest level was raised on March 22 to a range from to . Volunteers continued preparing sandbags, with 560,000 bags filled by late March 22 out of an expected 1.5 million to 2 million needed. By March 24, residents in Fargo-Moorhead had filled over 1 million sandbags and were attempting to fill a total of 2 million by the 26th. A levee in Georgetown, Minnesota was raised another two feet, and emergency dikes were being built in Fargo, Moorhead, Harwood, Grafton and Richland County. The predicted flood crest was raised again on March 26, changed to between and by March 28, with a possibility of . In addition to the sandbags the construction of the dikes protecting the city has required large amounts of clay. Clay has been brought from several places in and around the city, including the soccer field at Centennial Elementary School and around Discovery Middle School. At 7:15 P.M. CDT on March 26, 2009, the river exceeded the 1997 crest of at Fargo, which was the previous second-highest crest. The projected crest is above flood stage and higher than the record-setting floods in 1997 and 1897. Grand Forks In the Grand Forks, North Dakota area, flood predictions released February 27 predicted a possibility of a flood crest between and . The snow storm that struck March 9–10 raised the predicted levels between and prompting the city to declare a state of emergency. On March 22 the predicted crest level was changed to . At 2:30 A.M. CDT, the National Weather Service offices in Grand Forks issued a Flash Flood Warning for extreme east-central Cass County due to a levee breach in Fargo on Linden Avenue. With the river now more than 6 meters (20 feet) above flood stage, there appears to be a growing sense in Fargo that despite best efforts, it may not be possible to build dikes high enough to hold back the river. See also Red River Flood (disambiguation) Notes External links National Weather