Flooding from Moose Horn river and throughout Carlton county

The flooding from Moose Horn river is due to the melting of record breaking snowfall from winter. Some of the Northland communities facing flooding are Moose Lake, Barnum, and Cloquet to name a few. While the flooding hasn’t reached significant levels back in 2012, it’s still dangerous.

Paul Buse, a resident in Cloquet, talked about the flooding from Moose Horn river is similar to the flooding from St. Louis river. “We don’t have sand at our houses. We’re not sandbagging it like down south. But yeah, we’re prepared for it.” Buse said. “I would say make sure some pumps are running good and check the perimeter your discharges and make sure you’re getting rid of the water. I absolutely think it’s going to get worse, I think we’re just getting into the beginning. So I think it’s going to come down. And I feel bad for the people south of us.”

The Minnesota Department of Corrections are using their Challenge Incarceration Program to help residents deal with the flooding from Moose Horn river. Steve Whited, a Minnesota Department of Corrections Sergeant, talked more about the sandbagging effort. “Mainly what we’re doing is just filling sandbags and then the city and local people can come grab the bags and then go place them back at their homes.” Whited said. “We’ve got another crew down in Willow River, sandbagging, doing the same sort of thing down there. And then we’re in contact with Barnum because we heard that they’re having problems.”

Whited also talked more about the Challenge Incarceration Program, and how it can help inmates and the community. “It’s for nonviolent offenders. They get sentenced to the D.O.C. and then they qualify for our program. They come here and they get some time off their sentence structure rate.” Whited said. “We’ll be here as long as they need us. Hopefully it doesn’t go that long. But if it does, we’ll be here.”

For more information on the Challenge Incarceration Program you can look here. For more information on the flooding happening in Moose Horn river and in the Northland you can look here.