Missouri River
A family checks out the flooded Missouri River from beneath the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge in Omaha, Nebraska, June 21, 2011. REUTERS

Minot, North Dakota is expected to be flooded for several months as flood control measures along the Souris River in North Dakota reached their limits, the National Weather Service reported on Wednesday.

Levees were beginning to overflow in parts of Minot, the Minot Emergency Operations Center said on Wednesday.

Mandatory evacuations were ordered along the Souris river through a significant portion of the city, affecting up to 12,000 people, NWS said.

The service said it activated flash flood warnings Wednesday morning and said those in mandatory evacuation zones needed to move to higher ground.