Franken pushes for permanent flood protection

Appearing in Moorhead, U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., says the Red River Valley needs permanent flood protection.

"We got very lucky this year too--a slow melt," he said. "You don't get lucky like that every year, so we have to come up with some kind of permanent solutions."

Franken said he supports a diversion project for Fargo-Moorhead, but doesn't want small communities forgotten in the planning. He said while the flood fight is going well in places like East Grand Forks and Moorhead, small communities like Oslo are struggling.

"They're a little bit, feel very beleagured and anxious. And that's why I believe not only do we have to do these kind of projects like the diversion project, but we need to come up with an overall plan so every year this doesn't happen," he said.

Franken says he will work to secure more federal funding for all aspects of flood protection in northwest Minnesota.