BEULAH (AP) - Beulah Mayor Darrell Bjerke said the Knife River is down to what he calls "pre-flood" levels. But he said the community of about 3,000 still has a lot of snow on the ground.

Bjerke said he's hoping the ice is clear from the river and that the snowmelt will be slow. He said a number of homes already have been damaged in the southern part of town, including some collapsed basements.

Bjerke said some homes that escaped the 1997 flood disaster did not escape this year. He's advising residents who have sandbag dikes to keep them in place until the threat subsides.