BISMARCK, ND (KFYR) – Bismarck, North Dakota, is not the place most people associate with crashing waves, especially in the middle of downtown. Yet that was exactly the scene earlier this week.

Although the water has receded, Bismarck’s Department of Public Works still has a lot of work to do. Construction workers say only the 2011 flood was as bad.

“But the flooding wasn’t that bad. The way the rain came and the way it came so quickly, we’ve never seen anything like it,” said Chad Schiermeister, foreman at Bismarck Public Works.

On Wednesday, emergency crews began clearing away debris, then another rainstorm came. Now they have to rework all the areas.

“Lots of mud, dirt, stones, silt, sand or whatever,” said Schiermeister.

Normally the streets are always thoroughly swept after a rainstorm, but the recent storms have left more debris than usual.

“Any alley that is not paved will wash out, so we have to go back and push the material back onto the alley and clean it up as best we can. That happens a lot when it rains,” Schiermeister said.

The emergency services are in the process of clearing the escape routes and then combing through the residential areas.

“So nobody else is spreading it all over the city and in their garages. And you don’t want it in the stormwater system. You just want to keep the stuff clean,” Schiermeister said.

Schiermeister said road work is expected to continue into next week.

On Thursday, a portion of Century Avenue near Ithica Drive was closed for several hours while emergency crews cleared a small landslide.

The landslide hit the road on Wednesday evening. Emergency crews are unsure if the landslide was caused by this week’s heavy rains. On Thursday, they were busy clearing away the mud and making sure the ground did not slide again.

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