( CNN ) -- Civic-minded residents of Bismarck and Mandan , North Dakota , found there 's nothing like a major flood to make new friends while filling thousands of sandbags . As cities along the Missouri River brace for the onslaught , the `` Sunday Sandbag Thrown-Down '' in Bismarck resulted in 1,600 people producing about 300,000 sandbags in six hours , Burleigh County Commissioner Mark Armstrong said . `` The crisis is just beginning , '' Armstrong said Wednesday . `` There has been a great community spirit . '' Over the past few weeks , Armstrong , who has filed several CNN IReport photos and videos of the river and flooding , has been sounding the alarm over the threat to the community . Already , 2,400 residents and 632 homes in the county have been evacuated , he said , adding most of the displaced are staying with family and friends . `` It 's going to get worse , '' the official said . `` People who never saw water in their basements are seeing water . '' Such flooding has n't happened here in nearly 60 years , before a system of Missouri River dams in North Dakota and South Dakota were in place . In recent weeks , about 15 miles of emergency levees have been built in the capital area , according to Armstrong . Upstream , at Garrison Dam , a peak release of 150,000 cubic feet of water per second is expected later this month . Heavy rains and snow pack runoff could result in near-record flooding along significants portions of the Missouri River this year , officials have said . Armstrong is concerned that a fast melt of an unusually heavy snow pack in Montana could have devastating consequences . Rainfall of 3 to 5 inches in July and August also could potentially destroy levees , he said . Hundreds of National Guard members are in the area , performing levee patrols and other duties . Across the Upper Midwest , townspeople are remembering the devastating Missouri River flood of 1952 , which caused tens of thousands to flee . The 1952 flood saturated parts of downtown Omaha before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed the current flood protection system , according to CNN affiliate KMTV . The Missouri River in Omaha was at 30.38 Wednesday , slightly more than its peak during the 1993 flood , said National Weather Service meteorologist Rick Chermok . It is expected to rise to more than 32 feet by Tuesday , he said . Flood stage is 29 feet . By comparison , the river was at a record 40.20 feet on April 18 , 1952 . It had an astounding water flow of 396,000 cubic feet per second . The Army Corps of Engineers , which controls the dams , said Wednesday that it is committed to the Missouri River flood fight . `` This will be a long , sometimes frustrating and intense effort as the situation evolves and as we work together to avoid loss of life , minimize damages and help communities deal with the situation , '' said Brig . Gen. John McMahon , commander of the Corps ' Northwestern Division . `` The Corps is committed to doing its best in close collaboration with city , county , state and federal agencies as well as congressional representatives and others as we address this daunting challenge . '' The Missouri River was 1.39 feet above flood stage Wednesday afternoon at Bismarck , with an increase expected later in the week . CNN 's Phil Gast contributed to this report .
Residents fill about 300,000 sandbags in Bismarck area . The city of Minot is also preparing for the possibility that a dam failure could cause flooding and damage to its water treatment plant. Melting snow pack adds to flooding woes on Missouri River .