Ice-jammed coulees, creeks and rivers in western and central North Dakota have pushed snow melt across low ground. Roads are under water. Farmsteads turned into islands. Homes in low-lying areas taking water. Making the situation worse, there was a blizzard warning for last night and today. The situation isn't good.

People need to be careful.

Basically living in a dry place, people in western North Dakota don't take flood warnings as seriously as they might. It's easy to underestimate the power of water on the move. And how much crud it can leave behind. Not only can it flow across a gravel road, it can collapse that road, sucking 4-wheel-drive vehicles that dare crossing into the freezing muck. When ice jams, water levels can spike in minutes.

Flooding isn't a spectator sport, yet lines of cars can be found wherever the ice jams. When the Heart River was nudging its way up the sides of the dikes in Mandan on Sunday, traffic was jammed with sightseers and people lined the bridges with cameras clicking away and video running. Emergency vehicles are put at a disadvantage, and sightseers run the risk of becoming victims.

Reports suggest spring 2009 will be remembered for its floods:

* In Mott on Saturday, the Cannonball River overflowed its banks and seven families were evacuated.

* No travel was advised in rural Morton County.

* Schools were closed in some rural communities surrounding Bismarck-Mandan.

* School buses did not run.

* A Red Cross shelter was set up in Linton for about 50 people evacuated from areas threatened by high water.

* Another 40 families were evacuated from sections Beulah on Sunday evening.

* A National Guard helicopter lifted two Grant County families from farmsteads cut off by flooding.

And now comes another storm with below-freezing temperatures, high winds and more precipitation. People who do not need to be out should stay home. People who have to take care of business, especially in rural areas, need to operate with heightened caution. And when officials ask for volunteers, lend a hand.

Floods are nasty. Cleaning up after a flood can be even worse. There's muck everywhere and in everything. For those people whose homes are actually inundated by flood waters, the cleanup can be devastating. These people will need a helping hand. The legendary 1997 flood of Grand Forks made all of this ever so clear. Fargo, at risk this spring, is sandbagging at a fevered pace. Mott and Linton are crossing their fingers. Farm families are worried.

Again, people need to be careful. Don't try to drive through water flowing across a road. Listen to emergency warnings and road closings. Pay attention. Don't underestimate the risk.