Red River Rising: The Anatomy of a Flood and the Survival of an American City

by Ashley Shelby

On April 19, 1997, in one of the most dramatic floods in U.S. history, more than 50,000 people abandoned their homes and businesses in Grand Forks, North Dakota. A nation watched as the heart of downtown, engulfed by a river, burst into flames above the water line. Like Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm, Red River Rising is a compelling true-life narrative about the confluence of natural forces and human error that shaped one of the greatest natural disasters in U.S. history.

Ashley Shelby tells the dramatic stories of the the suspenseful, blizzard-filled spring; the difficulties scientists had in predicting the river's crest; the struggles of people who fought the rising waters and of those who marshalled the city's forces. Despite technological advances in meteorology, despite the brute force of hundreds of earth movers, despite the utter determination of thousands who built and walked the levees, the river won.

This book is a gripping story of the terrific cost of natural disasters and a fascinating portrait of how ordinary people rose to an extraordinary challenge. It is also a clear-eyed examination of the disastrous the second-guessing and blame directed at the National Weather Service, at city and federal officials, and at the people of Grand Forks themselves as they struggled to rebuild. With empathy and penetrating intelligence, Shelby uncovers the conflicts, conspiracy theories, and recrimination that tore at the community after the waters fell. Through the powerful stories of memorable individuals Red River Rising gives us new perspective on disaster and community.

Genres: Nonfiction

265 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Ashley Shelby is novelist, short story writer, and former environmental journalist. She is the author of Honeymoons in Temporary Locations (2024), South Pole Station (2017), and Red River Rising: The Anatomy of a Flood and the Survival of an American City (2004).

Reviews

[Nancy Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Red River several years ago when Ashley taught a nonfiction writing class. I was very impressed with the breadth of her research. She created a complex analysis of tragedy and how to avoid it in the future. I learned about history, science, geography, policy and planning and the lives of those coping with the flood. She took the flood and illustrated how every walk of life is changed AFTER the water recedes.

She covered the politics of ruin, federal and small town agenda , economic winners and losers, the science of floods, ice, soil, rescue coordination and the value of government agencies talking to each other. Learn about the demographics of flooding. Who lives near the river? She explores questions that are the fabric of our daily lives and decisions. Who buys insurance? Who should sell It? How is a flood even defined? It is a brilliant read involving suspense and the study of human nature. It is nonfiction journalism at its best.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential book on not only the 1997 Red River flood, but on natural disasters in general. Shelby eloquently treads the line between a poignant narrative and a systematic view. She gives detailed explanations of how a river's crest is predicted, which includes a complicated web of hydrologic inputs and historical comparisons. She also dives into the personalities that drove the city's handling of the floodwaters, the melancholic aftermath, and even congressional involvement. Beyond the well-developed understanding of numerous policies and individuals is a prose that keeps a reader enthralled and puts faces on the mechanics.

The best summary of this book is its aptly applied subtitle. An excellent read.

[James Norton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This examination of the 1997 spring flood of the Red River has got a great ticking clock sense of urgency, a nuanced sense of the people involved in planning for and reacting to the disaster, and a real sense of insight into how public and private institutions function (or break) in a time of crisis. It's a great case study of an event that forever changed the communities it affected.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Multi-perspective look at local tragedy. Feel hopeless of Grand Forks residents and scientists blamed for the unpredictability of nature.

[John Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

We lived along the Red River during the flood of 1997 which devastated Grand Forks. Ashley Shelby wrote a well-researched book that she tells in an understated way. As the book goes along, you sense the power in the book as she brings out all the emotions of the main players and residents during the flood and in the years after the clean up. Shelby brings out how the flood brought everyone together during the fight but later how it tore the community apart. She does an especially good job at telling Pat Owens' story, the mayor of Grand Forks who won many accolades as the flood was occurring but was later voted out of office. The book is dedicated to Ashley Shelby's father. For those of us who lived for any time in Minneapolis-St. Paul, we were able to see the good journalism of her dad, Don Shelby on WCCO TV. I am sure he was proud of the work she did in this very good case study of the flood.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not that I'm biased or anything, but...pretty good book.