MINOT, N.D. (AP) - The Souris River's full weight is being felt in Minot, where an estimated 2,500 homes are filling with water as the river has soared nearly 4 feet in a single day.

Mayor Curt Zimbelman said city leaders expect more than 4,000 homes will have significant water damage by day's end.

About a fourth of the city's residents were evacuated earlier this week because of a swift rise in the Souris. The river broke a 130-year-old record Friday and is expected to go more than 6 feet higher by this weekend.

City leaders say a top priority is getting a federal declaration that would qualify Minot residents for individual aid. They say that would allow FEMA to set up centers to begin working on transitional housing for flood victims.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Check out images of the flooding below.

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