While North Dakota is a great place to live - with its gorgeous scenery, friendly residents, great work opportunities, and many other positives - there is always a risk to living anywhere. Here are 7 risks that come with the territory when you live in North Dakota.
1. Flooding
People who live in cities in river valleys know this very well. Usually near the end of winter in North Dakota, it heats up quickly enough that snow and ice will melt rapidly. The ground, still frozen, does not soak in this moisture. River levels rise to record breaking levels some years, like the Souris River flood in Minot in 2011 - effects of that flood are shown here.
2. Deer crossing everywhere
Deer are very populous in North Dakota, and many roads are out in the open without any walls or large fences on either side. As a result, people hit deer with their cars quite frequently, or attempt to swerve out of the way for deer and cause other accidents.
3. ...And there's other wildlife that isn't very friendly
Other than deer, North Dakota does have quite a bit of other wildlife. Shown is a prairie rattlesnake, which can be found in the state. There are also sightings of mountain lions, populations of coyotes, and lots of geese. Geese can get pretty nasty on even their best days!
4. Powerful summer storms
Though people think of tornado alley being more in Oklahoma and surrounding states, North Dakota gets them too. Late summer storm cells frequently produce tornados in the state and there's nothing we can do about them but try to stay on alert and know when they are coming so we can get to a safe place.
5. Blood-sucking bugs like ticks and mosquitoes
These are very common in the summer and pretty much impossible to avoid if you go outside. Make sure to check yourself and any furred pets allowed outside for ticks, especially since some ticks can carry Lyme disease.
6. Freezing winters
Our winters do tend to be harsh and cold. With wind chill factored into temperatures well below zero, it can get very dangerous to be outside for too long. You know it must be a bad winter when us North Dakotans think it's getting warm after temperatures barely inch up over the zero mark.
7. And with cold winters, there's also winter driving
We fare pretty well with winter driving compared to some other states, most of us taking the precautions of getting snow tires or snow chains on our cars, but that doesn't mean the danger still isn't there. When it is windy and the roads are barely visible due to snow drifts, or with the presence of ice on the roads, accidents do happen in the winter. And with the possibility of becoming stranded with your car somewhere in the middle of winter, it poses a large risk.
Despite all this, I don't think most of us North Dakotans think our state is any less perfect. It's still good to be aware. What are some other risks you can think of that come with living in North Dakota?
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