Finally, he reopened in a new location in Wahpeton, North Dakota. Some closed, Some left. The flood of 1997 was especially tough on businesses here because it struck not once but twice in a city that each spring battles not one river but three. Today is the anniversary of the second record crest of the Red River at its headwaters. Thurlow was hired in the wake of the flood as director of the city's new Office of Housing and Flood Recovery.
People forget how bad it was.
To this day, people just don't have a clue about what happened here. The flood of April 15 caught many off guard. Water came from not only the rivers but flowing overland into the south side of town. Everything south of the main railroad line and Minnesota Avenue was inundated with water. More than 20 businesses on the south side of town were closed for extended periods.