Counties prepare despite minor flood outlook
by Lee Voss, WJON.com

ST. CLOUD -- Some parts of Minnesota, like the Red River Valley, are expecting significant flooding this spring. That's not the case here in central Minnesota.

Even so, Stearns County Emergency Management Director Marvin Klug says they are preparing for the possibility of some minor flooding along the Sauk River and some smaller lakes.

Klug says they will have sandbags and sand available to residents who need them.  He says they are monitoring the situation and can open the Emergency Operations Center in the coming weeks if needed.

In Benton County, Emergency Management Director Jim McDermott says they are not anticipating any real problems for homes along Little Rock Lake either as the crests are expected to be below last year's levels. 

McDermott says they have their Special Emergency Response Team ready to go if the outlook changes.  He says sandbags and sand will also be made available to Benton County residents if they are needed.