Mississippi River expected to crest at Aitkin

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AITKIN, Minn. — The mayor of Aitkin said the city is well-prepared for the Mississippi River to crest more than six feet above flood stage Thursday.

Mayor Gary Tibbitts said the sewage plant and power transfer station have been sandbagged. Emergency pumps are on standby and the dike around the city is holding.

He said some roads in the community of 2,000 remain closed and some farm homes on the outskirts of the city are virtual islands with hay fields under water.

The mayor said flooding could have been worse if not for a diversion channel just outside the city built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

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