( CNN ) -- Seven hundred thousand sandbags guarded the city of Fargo , North Dakota , Friday , lumpy and forlorn sentinels against the rising waters of the Red River . With the river at 17 feet above its flood stage , residents hoped they had done enough to protect themselves . `` The river is definitely well over its banks and has gone into adjacent city parks , different areas that are noncritical , not people 's backyards , or businesses or anything like that , '' said Fargo spokeswoman Robyn Litke . The river stood at 35.5 feet Friday afternoon , and rising by about an inch an hour . The river is expected to crest this weekend , about three feet below last year 's record flood level of 40.8 feet . Residents in Fargo and across the river in Moorhead , Minnesota , said they were optimistic after filling more than a million sandbags between the two cities and stacking most of them . `` We 're in good shape and we have a lot of things in place in case there are any problems , '' Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker said . The city said Friday that the levees to the north and south of Fargo have been completed . `` Residents are asked to be vigilant and monitor their dikes , '' the city said in an e-mail . Eight `` quick reaction '' National Guard teams are in the city and in surrounding Cass County , filling 50 one-ton sandbags for larger protection projects , such as potentially broken dikes , on Friday , the city said . Chinook helicopters are also available to transport bags and equipment if necessary , the city said . `` We got done what we wanted to do as far as our goals for the flood of 2010 so we 're in good shape today , '' Walaker said Thursday . But still parts of Fargo were flooding Friday , city officials said . The annual flooding began last week when warmer weather and rain melted snow south of Fargo and Moorhead causing the Red River to swell . Upstream , snow and ice have yet to melt , pushing water back toward the two cities . In the rural town of Hickson , about 15 miles south of Fargo , some homes in the area have been surrounded by water , and residents have had to used boats to get around . Some residents parked their cars blocks away from their homes , walking to the edge of the river where they have their boats parked . iReport : Are you there ? Share photos , video . Blain Johnson , 21 , rowed home in waters that he estimated were 5 feet deep . `` This used to be a horse pasture below us , '' Johnson said . Johnson said this is the fourth time his neighborhood has been inundated with water in the 10 years he has lived here . Each flood brings stress and fear but , he said , he was trying to keep a positive outlook . `` Not everybody can say they can fish out of their window , '' Johnson said . CNN 's Chris Welch , Steve Kastenbaum , Richard Benson and Shelby Erdman contributed to this report .
Red River was 17 feet above its flood stage in Fargo , North Dakota , on Friday afternoon . River expected to crest this weekend , but not as high as last year 's record 40.8 feet . More than 1 million sandbags have been filled in Fargo and Moorhead , Minnesota . Despite flooding , Fargo mayor says , `` we 're in good shape today ''