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APWASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says it's actively monitoring flooding in North Dakota and Minnesota, and President Barack Obama has dispatched the acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the region.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says Nancy Ward is in Fargo and Obama has personally spoken with the governors of both states and with Fargo's mayor.
Gibbs said the federal government is working closely with state and local leaders to give them any help they need. He also implored citizens in both states to be vigilant in tracking flood conditions.
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WASHINGTON, March 27 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama has been monitoring the flooding situation along the Red River in North Dakota and Minnesota, the White House said Friday.
The president talked Friday with North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Fargo, N.D., Mayor Dennis Walaker "to express his concern for the residents of North Dakota and Minnesota and to ensure that the states are getting the federal assistance they need to supplement any state and local efforts," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
Federal support is being provided along Red River, which rose to historic levels Friday and expected to crest between 41-43 feet on Saturday, Gibbs said. Emergency declarations for the two states have been approved.
Acting Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Nancy Ward was in Fargo, working with federal, state and local officials "to ensure that federal assistance is provided to support the response to the flooding," the spokesman said. Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano also has been in contact with state and local officials, briefing Obama on her discussions.
"The president continues to be impressed with ongoing efforts of thousands of volunteers as they continue to work to protect their communities," Gibbs said.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/03/27/Obama_monitors_as_agencies_aid_flood_areas/UPI-88141238189150/FARGO, North Dakota (CNN) -- Fifteen helicopters from the U.S. Northern Command along with active-duty military personnel are being sent to Fargo, North Dakota, to assist the state as it prepares for possible record flooding, a U.S. military official told CNN.
The military personnel being sent to Fargo are from a "contingency response force" made up of active-duty troops, the official said.
The staging area for relief at Fargo Air National Guard Base has been affected by the crisis and more help is needed, the official said.
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(Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker) President Obama had called him to make sure the city has everything it needs, he said.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/weather/03/27/north.dakota.flooding/index.htmlFARGO – Mayor Dennis Walaker said he “became an Energizer bunny” this afternoon when President Barack Obama called him to wish the city well in its flood fight.
“He wanted to convey to everybody in this area, if there’s anything we need, all we have to do is ask,” Walaker said.
The mayor said he congratulated the president and told him that he had attended his inauguration.
Walaker called the experience “moving.”
“Sometimes I get a little emotional, but talking to the president of the United States is always a positive for all of us,” he said. “And he wanted to reassure us that this has become a national story.”
When first asked by a reporter what Obama told him, Walaker said with a laugh, “He told me that Duke lost.” Obama is a basketball fan who’s rooting for Duke’s rival, the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, in the NCAA men’s tournament.
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