Bracing for the Mississippi River to crest

Apr. 24—WABASHA, Minn. — Each morning starting last week, Jeff Burns checks the river level and latest forecast crest of the Mississippi River.

Burns knows the river is rising — and rising quickly. Water wasn't yet crossing West Grant Boulevard in front of his home Sunday morning. By Sunday evening, the water was up to his driveway and still rising.

Burns has lived along the river in Wabasha for about 41 years and says he's not personally worried about the flooding. He just wants to know when the river will crest, and how high.

Here's his answer, at least for now: The latest forecast by the National Weather Service in La Crosse, Wisconsin, calls for the Mississippi River to crest at Wabasha Tuesday at about 17.2 feet. That's below the record of just over 20 feet set in 1965, but it would still be the second highest crest Burns has seen. The river flooded and crested at 18.22 feet in 2001 and reached 16.53 feet in 1997. This will be the third major flood he has seen, and he can picture what a 17.2 foot crest would look like.

"I've got a pretty good idea," he said.

Burns enjoys living along the river and doesn't see experiencing three major floods over 41 years as a reason to relocate.

"I like living here," he said. "We hunt, we fish, we do all that stuff."

His home, which has no basement, would stay dry if the forecast holds, he said.

"It's a little bit of an inconvenience, but that's about it," he said. "Other people are worse off."

For the people who are worse off, Burns and other neighbors are willing to lend a hand.

"Everybody's ready to jump in where they're needed," he said.

Alison Young and Ann Wilkens saw that first hand. They put out a call on social media to help sandbag the cottage near the marina they bought in October. The couple did minor renovations on the cottage in order to rent it out this summer. This weekend, they worked to preserve those improvements. Nine volunteers helped them sandbag the building Friday. The volunteers helped deliver and stack about 400 sandbags, they said.

"We didn't realize we needed help until we needed help," Wilkens said.

Time will tell if the efforts will pay off. As the river levels sat just under 16-and-a-half feet Sunday evening, the yard and building were still dry. Wilkens worked to set up a pump in case it's needed. She said she will be checking the yard most of the night.

"I'm not sleeping at all," Wilkens said.

Young, owner of Salon with a Twist in Red Wing, Minnesota, said she hopes it stays dry for people to enjoy when the water recedes this summer.

"It's a really cool property and it's a really nice spot," Young said.

Nicole Carrels is also watching out the window at her Bailey Avenue home in Wabasha as water crept closer Sunday.

"We're hoping we don't float away," she said.

This is also her first spring and flood season at the house.

"I guess if we make it through this, we'll know what we have to deal with in the future and know what to do," she said.

The flooding hasn't slowed Carrels' work to make improvements to the historic home — she installed new carpeting on the second floor over the weekend. Pumps are running continuously to keep the water in the basement to a minimum.

Carrels has lived in Wabasha all her life. Like Burns, she said she's glad to be near the river. Her front porch faces the backwaters of the Mississippi that now cut off her usual route into town and Minnesota State Highway 60.

"It's gorgeous around here," she said. "There are a lot of boaters."

Sandbags are available for Wabasha residents at city hall for 25 cents per bag during city hall regular business hours, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday. The sandbag fill site is located west of Eagle Valley Cafe.