US troop deaths double in Afghanistan

The number of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan has roughly doubled in the first three months of 2010 compared to the same period last year as Washington has added tens of thousands of additional soldiers to reverse the Taliban's momentum. Those deaths have been accompanied by a dramatic spike in the number of wounded, with injuries more than tripling in the first two months of the year and trending in the same direction based on the latest available data for March. United States officials have warned that casualties are likely to rise even further as the Pentagon completes its deployment of 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan and sets its sights on the Taliban's home base of Kandahar province, where a major operation is expected in the coming months."We must steel ourselves, no matter how successful we are on any given day, for harder days yet to come," Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a briefing last month.
In total, fifty seven U.S. troops were killed here during the first two months of 2010 compared with twenty eighth in January and February of last year, an increase of more than one hundred percent, according to Pentagon figures compiled by The Associated Press. At least twenty American service members have been killed so far in March, an average of about point eight per day, compared to thirteen, or point four per day, a year ago. The steady rise in combat deaths has generated less public reaction in the United States than the spike in casualties last summer and fall, which undermined public support in the U.S. for the eight-year-old American-led mission here. Fighting traditionally tapers off in Afghanistan during winter months, only to peak in the summer. After a summer marked by the highest monthly death rates of the war, President Barack Obama faced serious domestic opposition over his decision in December to increase troops in Afghanistan, with only about half the American people supporting the move. But support for his handling of the war has actually improved since then, despite the increased casualties.

Flood on the Way

There have been rumors for a couple of months now about if we were going to flood or we weren't going to flood. The National Weather Service has said that there is a high chance that it will still flood in Western, West-Central, and in the south-central part of the state even with the recent dry spell. The Fargo city officials have released a flood evacuation guide to the public that is available on the internet. Midwest prepares for flood:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hEb9pIxit5rnCSvNw60nuuD-O46QD9E8JI201

It also said that the flood risk is lower than it was 2 weeks ago, but the risk could go up again with more snow or rain. The Corps spokesperson has released a statement, the two dikes present no immediate danger to the public, but the corps will implement risk-reduction measures at both areas to warrant if there is more work that is needed. The measures will include updated emergency action plans and training exercises. Here is a Video on last year’s flood:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmAWmOV-W64

Pomeroy stated that he is more worried about severe flood protection than his upcoming re-election in November. In this article it says the National Weather Service is expecting it to flood on the James and Sheyenne rivers. Rich Scheuneman the Bald Hill Dam manager, showed Pomeroy and the city official’s airborne views of the Upper Basin of the Sheyenne that show the snow pack and moisture content are close in relation to last year. On Friday there was another flood forecast released for our region.

http://www.newsdakota.com/favicon.ico

In preparation of the next flood, citizens of Fargo have been sandbagging since March 1st, and are getting them stockpiled just in case of another serious flood. Inmates, city officials, and volunteers are part of the people that have been doing this. Fargo is at risk for 90% flooding, and 19% record flooding. I from experience have sandbagged quite a bit last year around Fargo and my friend’s homes. This year in Valley City I believe that we should be getting ready now considering that a flood warning is on March twenty third. If we can get students out working and helping early it will make the future easier. People always talk about how bad it will be. Why don’t we play it safe and get bags ready now and dikes build up to where they were last year. I know it sounds dumb in a way but I was always raised to the motto better safe than sorry.