<sod>East Grand Forks, along with Grand Forks, was heavily damaged by a major flood in 1997.  The entire city was under a mandatory evacuation and almost no homes were spared damage.  After the flood, several neighborhoods had to be demolished.  The city has rebuilt itself and the once inundated downtown area now contains a number of new businesses including a [[Cabela's]] sporting goods store and movie theater complex. A new system of [[Dike (construction)|dike]]s has been constructed to protect the city from future flooding. The land bordering the Red and Red Lake rivers has been cleared of developments and is now a large park known as the [[Greater Grand Forks Greenway]].<eod>
<sod>East Grand Forks, along with Grand Forks, was heavily damaged by a [[1997 Red River Flood in the United States|major flood in 1997]]. The entire city was under a mandatory evacuation and almost no homes were spared damage.  After the flood, several neighborhoods had to be demolished because of damage. The city cleared development from the floodplain bordering the Red and Red Lake rivers. It developed a large park known as the [[Greater Grand Forks Greenway]] to provide a new recreation area for residents along the river. A similar park was developed in [[Grand Forks, North Dakota]] on the opposite side. The parklands, with trees and a variety of greenery, can absorb floodwaters and help protect the cities naturally. Moving residential and business development out of these areas also helps prevent future flood damage. In addition, a new system of [[Dike (construction)|dike]]s was constructed to protect the city from future flooding. <eod>