( CNN ) -- The city of Fargo , North Dakota , largely completed flood preparations early Thursday as a surging Red River rose nearly 3 feet in 24 hours . The waterway was well beyond its banks along the North Dakota-Minnesota line . `` Thanks to our volunteers , we 've been able to fill a million sandbags and place 700,000 around our city , '' Fargo spokeswoman Karena Carlson said early Thursday . `` We 're just buttoning up a lot of our clay levees and putting a few more sandbags in place , and we hope to be protected up to 40 feet . '' Several hundred volunteers worked with the National Guard in Fargo to fill those sandbags as the river rose . Flooding where you are ? Share pictures , video . Fargo set a record in 2009 when the Red River hit 40.8 feet . As of 9:15 a.m. Saturday , the river stood at 36.56 feet , more than 18 feet above the flood stage of 18 feet and past major flood stage . `` Fortunately , we started filling sandbags March 1st . We thought our crest was going to be the first or second week in April . It turns out our crest is going to be this week , '' Carlson said . `` So we did it in just over two weeks . '' Floodwaters are forecast to peak at 38 feet Sunday afternoon . Last week , warm weather and rain melted snow south of Fargo and Moorhead , Minnesota , causing the Red River to swell . Upstream , snow and ice have yet to melt , causing water to accumulate near the two cities . Across the river in Moorhead , Tom Holmgren spent Wednesday filling sandbags as Minnesota State University gave students time off to help with the effort . `` Most of my friends have put in at least a couple hours , '' said Holmgren , who said sandbagging has become a source of college pride . `` I know there 's a big push in just the college community that 's like , 'Yeah , we 're doing it . We 're saving this town . ' '' One man refuses to leave his home . About 90 miles south of Fargo in Browns Valley , Minnesota , Kathryn Bartz said Thursday that she 's grateful that a 40-year water diversion project is nearly complete . `` Otherwise I believe we would have washed out a considerable amount of our town , '' said Bartz , a former town council member . Browns Valley suffered severe flooding from the winding Little Minnesota River in 2007 , 1993 and 1943 , and lesser floods many other years . Funding and property acquisition problems kept the diversion project -- consisting mainly of a canal to carry overflow around the town -- from being completed , Bartz said . A section of a new road that is part of the project washed out this week , but boulders and rocks were put in place to prevent further erosion , said Bartz , 66 , who owns a hobby ranch outside of town . `` That will be repaired when the water goes down , '' she said . `` It 's an inconvenience , but we are grateful that it has worked as well as it has . '' Meanwhile , in the Northeast , utility crews made steady progress restoring electricity after a nor'easter -- a powerful low-pressure system -- blasted the region over the weekend . About 40,000 customers in New York , New Jersey and Connecticut remained without power early Thursday , down from a peak of more than 500,000 . `` We recognize the hardship our customers face from being without power for days , '' said Jeff Butler , president of Connecticut Light & Power . `` We appreciate everyone 's patience as we continue to safely restore power as quickly as possible . '' The outages were caused mostly by power lines downed by Saturday 's hurricane-force winds , which knocked over trees and utility poles . At least seven deaths were attributed to the storm , authorities said . CNN 's Ed Payne and Jim Kavanagh and CNN Radio 's Shelby Erdman contributed to this report .
NEW : Diversion project saves Minnesota town , resident says . Volunteers , National Guard fill 1 million sandbags , mayor says . River expected to crest Sunday 20 feet above flood stage . Power restored to most of Northeast after weekend nor'easter .