Fugro Horizons aids residents in historic Red River Flood event!

The Red River flows northwards across the flat terrain between North Dakota and Minnesota. As the snow melts and the spring rains begin, rising water threatens communities and various croplands. In 1997, conditions created the region’s most disastrous flood since 1826. Floodwaters crested at approximately 38 feet in Fargo, North Dakota. 60,000 residents evacuated. Damages totaled $3.5 billion.

The devastation sparked the creation of the Red River Basin Mapping Initiative, a $5 million program that was launched in May 2008 to create an accurate elevation model. The 41,700 square mile project was to be completed over multiple flight seasons and required 15-centimeter vertical accuracy (RMSE), a challenging task for current technology. Fugro Horizons, Inc. put together a team including Fugro EarthData, Inc. and North West Geomatics Ltd. with the latest LiDAR technology to tackle this massive endeavor.

In 2009, the Red River put forth another effort towards destruction as the winter snow melted and waters crested to over 42 feet in Fargo. RRBMI Products provided by Fugro Horizons were used extensively by local, state, and federal partners as they responded to emerging flood waters. Chuck Fritz, Director of the International Water Institute stated “The professional and competent staff at Fugro Horizons, Inc. delivered quality LiDAR elevation products that greatly aided Red River Basin residents during this spring’s historic flood event.” Between the temporary levees, sandbagging efforts, equipment, and human resources, the mapping data allowed for successful strategy for containing the flood. Chuck Fritz also stated “The Fugro Horizons Inc. products resulting from the RRBMI project will serve as a foundation for future decision making in the Red River Basin for years to come.”