Campus Alert Archive
UND

The Flood That Sent UND Home: 72 Buildings, $75 Million, Grades as They Stood

NDfloodingemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

In April 1997 the Red River of the North flooded Grand Forks, the worst flood on the river since 1826, cresting above 54 feet and displacing or evacuating more than 60,000 residents of Grand Forks and East Grand Forks. The University of North Dakota canceled classes, sent students home, and assigned grades based on current standing with finals incomplete. The campus suffered 72 flooded buildings and roughly $75 million in damage, though staff efforts saved much of the campus.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
University of North Dakota
Public R1 · ND
Campus radio / phone tree (pre-electronic-alert era)
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTPhone
Approximate reconstruction252 chars
University of North Dakota: Due to rising floodwaters from the Red River, classes are canceled until further notice. Students are advised to leave campus and return home. Follow instructions from emergency officials and monitor local radio for updates.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

This is a reconstruction: in April 1997 UND had no SMS/email mass-notification system, so closure word spread via local radio, phone trees, and in-person notice.
Classes were canceled and students sent home, with final grades assigned on current standing because the flood interrupted the semester before finals.
The exact date and wording of UND's closure notice were not preserved in available sources, so timestampApprox and an unconfirmed reconstruction are used.
UPDATESiren
Approximate reconstruction226 chars
EVACUATION: Greater Grand Forks is under mandatory evacuation due to catastrophic flooding. Leave immediately and move to higher ground. Do not attempt to remain in flooded areas. Seek shelter at designated evacuation centers.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

More than 60,000 people in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks were displaced or evacuated during the peak of the flood around April 18-22, 1997.
This community-wide evacuation order came from city and county emergency officials, not UND specifically, but it governed the campus population alongside the university's own closure.
Sirens, radio, and door-to-door notice carried the evacuation; the wording here is a reconstruction of the protective-action message.
Context

Background

The 1997 Red River flood was the most severe flood on the Red River of the North since 1826. After six winter snowstorms and blizzards in 1996-97 followed by rapid spring warming, the river crested above 54 feet at Grand Forks in April 1997, overwhelming dikes. More than 60,000 residents of Grand Forks and East Grand Forks were displaced or evacuated in what was then the largest U.S. evacuation since the Civil War. The University of North Dakota canceled classes and sent students home, assigning final grades based on current standing. The Grand Forks Herald retrospective recounts that UND ended up with 72 flooded buildings and about $75 million in damage, with staff powering down buildings, raising elevators, and managing pumps to save much of campus. The case is a pre-electronic-alert benchmark for how a major public university communicated a catastrophic-weather closure before SMS notification existed.
Analysis

Key Findings

The April 1997 Red River flood crested above 54 feet at Grand Forks, the worst since 1826
More than 60,000 Grand Forks-area residents were displaced or evacuated in the largest U.S. evacuation since the Civil War at the time
UND canceled classes, sent students home, and based final grades on current standing
The campus sustained 72 flooded buildings and roughly $75 million in damage despite staff efforts that saved much of it
Outcome
UND closed, sent students home, and based final grades on current standing. The university recorded 72 flooded buildings and about $75 million in damage. The Grand Forks evacuation was, at the time, the largest in the United States since the Civil War.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Source
    1997 Red River flood - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
  2. Source
    1997 Red River flood in the United States - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
  3. Student Paper
    Remembering the Flood of 1997 - Dakota Student
    dakotastudent.com
  4. News
    From the archives: Come hell and high water - 25 years ago, the flood brought some of its toughest days - Grand Forks Herald
    grandforksherald.com
  5. Official
    Event Summaries - National Weather Service, Grand Forks
    weather.gov
Tags
floodingemergency-notificationnorth-dakotaevacuationred-riverhistoricpre-electronic-alertcampus-closure
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion