FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Schoolchildren, parents and hundreds of residents have spent days packing and stacking sandbags to protect their cities against the rising Red River. The National Guard is in place, keeping watch over the water. Dike builders are finishing last-minute work.



Now comes the difficult part for residents of Fargo and neighboring Moorhead, Minn., who must wait to find out if all of their efforts are enough to hold back the water.



"It's hard to tell how this one is going to end up," Ed Farley said after he and other volunteers wrapped up construction of a sandbag dike behind his family's home in south Moorhead. "You've always got some concerns."



Volunteers filled their 1 millionth sandbag Wednesday as the river rose above 30 feet — considered major flood stage — on its way to an expected crest of about 38 feet Sunday that could swamp roads and threaten some neighborhoods.