The overflowing Souris River flooded the town of Minot, North Dakota, over the weekend, forcing thousands to evacuate.
Residents may have to wait several weeks before they can even survey their homes again, according to a report from Reuters news agency.
“It is going to be a very slow process of drying out these wetted areas over the next probably two to three weeks,” Allen Schlag, a National Weather Service worker, told Reuters.
The floodwaters reached historic proportions after it reached 13 feet above normal, breaking a 120-year-old record.
