FARGO, N.D. -- The flood waters that inundated most of Grand Forks and environs last month have caused a run on water, said an official at one leading wholesaler.
"We're probably doing tenfold or twentyfold above what we normally do," Hanson told SN. He said Nash Finch has been sending trucks filled with water to Grand Forks every day.
Water sales have also picked up in other parts of the region that have remained dry, such as Fargo, Wahpeton and Breckenridge, as wary consumers watch TV reports of the flooded farms and downtown regions, Hanson said.
Although demand has skyrocketed, Hanson said Nash Finch and its suppliers have not raised their prices.
Hanson said Nash Finch's retail customers in Grand Forks did not suffer as much damage as originally thought.
"We haven't lost as many [stores] as we thought we would. But a lot of them are not really doing business right now. They are basically waiting for the communities to get power and come back," he said late last month.
The National Guard also set up water purification machines that can process 60,000 gallons of water per day each to help citizens until the municipal water systems are once again up and running.