Saint Paul gears up for Mississippi River flooding [Video]

ST PAUL, Minn. — The leaders in the Capital City have been preparing for floods since last winter, knowing it was matter of when, not if, they’d be dealing with flooding along the Mississippi River.

The water that is now causing flooding in the Minnesota River Valley will soon be surging into the Mississippi, leading Saint Paul’s Emergency Management Department and other of the city’s agencies to implement their flood response plans.

“We didn’t expect the water to be rising this fast, especially this late in the spring and early summer,” said Rick Schute, the city’s Emergency Management director.

“We’ll continue along our flood action plan and putting the protective measures in to make sure that our systems stay safe and the infrastructure, the buildings and residential structures are safe despite the rising waters.”

The most visible signs to motorists are closed …