Mandatory evacuations prompted the American Red Cross to open a Bismarck shelter.

The shelter was open Tuesday afternoon at First Evangelical Free Church at 43rd Avenue and Washington Street.

"Anyone who is displaced, if in Mandan or traveling through," can use the shelter, said Red Cross Emergency Services Director Melanie Moen.

If anyone has pets, arrangements have been made with the Bismarck Police Department animal shelter.

The shelter will be open to anyone in the area who is displaced by the flooding and weather. The Red Cross has worked with stranded travelers to find accommodations. Until the mandatory evacuations of Fox Island and Southport, the Red Cross was working with people on an individual basis to find a place to stay.

"Most people have friends and families," Moen said. "With the road closures, we expect more through the day."

The Red Cross also is operating a shelter in Beulah. It closed a shelter in Linton that was opened Sunday night for residents. It was closed because the displaced residents found other accommodations.

The weather also caused some medical clinics and blood donation centers to close Tuesday.

United Blood Services is concerned about its blood supply after it closed the Bismarck and Minot clinics on Tuesday. The Bismarck center canceled many of its rural clinics on Monday, and the Fargo clinic is preparing for flooding.

"When roads start to close, it means it's not safe for staff or donors" to drive, said Stacey Majkrzak, marketing director for United Blood Services.

She urged people to donate blood to help prevent a supply shortage.

Weather also closed some medical clinics operated by Medcenter One and St. Alexius Medical Center. Medcenter One's clinics in Dickinson closed, as well as the north and east family clinics in Bismarck. The Minot-based clinic operated by St. Alexius Medical Center closed at 2 p.m. and the Mid Dakota after-hours walk-in clinic closed at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Both Bismarck hospitals are on standby in the event patients from other hospitals in the state need to be diverted. St. Alexius received three patients from Hazen as a preventative measure.

For more on the shelter, call the Red Cross at 223-6700.

For more information on blood donations, call United Blood Services at 258-4512.

(Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@;bismarcktribune.com.)