Sen. Al Franken

Mark Dayton

Sen. Al Franken and Gov. Mark Dayton will hold public flood preparedness meetings in Crookston and Moorhead on Friday, they announced this week.

Several local, state and federal officials will participate in the meetings, including: officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as Adjutant General Richard Nash of the Minnesota National Guard and Kris Edie, executive director of the Minnesota Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

In a Wednesday statement, Dayton and Franken said they want to ensure all local, state and federal agencies are involved in planning the flood response. The National Weather Service’s preliminary spring flood outlook calls for significant chances of major flooding for many communities in the Red River Valley – you can take a look at the latest flood outlook on the NWS website (scroll about halfway down the page to find the probabilities of the river reaching certain levels this spring).

“Planning for events like this is a partnership between local, state and federal government agencies,” Franken wrote. “In bringing these agencies together, hopefully we can assure residents of the Red River Valley that a coordinated effort is underway to mitigate damages in advance of the spring thaw.”

Both flood preparedness meetings are open to the public.

The Crookston meeting will take place Friday at 12:30 p.m. at the University of Minnesota-Crookston Campus Ballroom, 2900 University Ave.

The Moorhead flood preparedness forum will be held at 3:30 p.m. Friday at the Moorhead City Hall Council Chamber, 500 Center Ave.