Northern Plains brace for flooding; power still out in Northeast March 16, 2010 9:17 a.m. EDT
CNN iReporters Tomas Rozar and Clem Carfaro provided this aerial image of flooding in Bound Brook, New Jersey.
Fargo, North Dakota, prepares as Red River rises quickly
River expected to crest Saturday at 38 feet, 3 shy of last year's record
More than 200,000 still without power after storm in Northeast
(CNN) -- Facing rising waters, Red River communities in Minnesota and North Dakota raced to shore up levees and dikes early Tuesday, officials said.
"We have every contractor we have in the area on a 24-hour shift, preparing dikes, hauling dirt, delivering sandbags," said Dennis Walaker, the mayor of Fargo, North Dakota.
A sudden snow melt combined with heavy rains was expected to push the river above flood stage on Tuesday.
"We thought we had a couple more weeks and, with the weather and the quick thaw and the rains we've had recently, it's really made it more difficult and it's really sped up the crest," said Fargo police Sgt. Carlos Nestler.
Forecasters predict the river will crest Saturday at 38 feet. That's three feet below the record of 41 feet, set last year.
"We have never lost a flood fight here in Fargo," Walaker said. "We're going to be optimistic about this for the rest of the week, that we're going to be able to save our community one more time."
Video: Red River flooding fears
Video: Rain floods roads, basements
Video: Town has too much water
Video: Floodwaters setback to business RELATED TOPICS
Floods
Fargo
New Jersey
National Weather Service
Along the Eastern Seaboard, flooding fears eased as a powerful nor'easter pushed into the Atlantic, though scattered flood warnings were in place from the Mid-Atlantic states to Maine.
More than 200,000 customers remained without power in the Northeast after rain and hurricane-force winds whipped the region over the weekend.
At least seven deaths were attributed to the storm, five caused by falling trees, authorities said.
Two people died in New Jersey; authorities from Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and West Virginia said they each had one storm-related death.
The city of Alexandria, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, distributed sandbags to those in low-lying areas Monday. A coffee shop there experienced minor flooding, said Alexandria official Rich Baier.
Some coastal areas received more than 6 inches of rain, the National Weather Service reported.
Con Edison said more than 70,000 customers were without power Monday night in New York City and Westchester County, New York, while the Long Island Power Authority said 47,000 customers were in the dark. In New Jersey, about 100,000 were without power. Flooding caused 3,700 customers in New Jersey to lose their gas service, PSEG said. Connecticut Light and Power said about 54,000 customers had no power Monday. And in Pennsylvania, utility companies had restored power to most residents, but the outage still affected more than 5,000.
The outages were due mostly to power lines downed by Saturday's winds, which knocked over trees and utility poles. Winds reached 75 mph at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport -- as strong as a Category 1 hurricane.
In Connecticut, the lingering effects of wind and rain from the weekend were apparent just by looking at the streets, said J.P. McNamara, in Fairfield, along the coast.
"The beach area of Fairfield experienced high tides that flooded streets with ... water and sand on Saturday night," McNamara said Monday. "Many roads are still blocked off because of fallen trees and limbs, and it seems that this occurrence is widespread."
James Durosier, of Rahway, New Jersey, said the storm's aftermath reminded him of an action movie.
"The way the whole scene looked was just incredible," Durosier said Sunday. "Power lines were hanging, street signs knocked down, and it was very quiet."
Brian DeNicola of Sayreville, New Jersey, said he has opened his home to three friends who don't have any power or hot water. He said he lost electricity for about an hour Saturday evening and had to use a vacuum to remove water from his basement. DeNicola said he's eager for spring's arrival.
"Oh, thank God, it's almost here," he said. "We're ready. We've had it with this stuff."
