Red River declining; 2 dead in N.D. flooding

FARGO, North Dakota (CNN) - The Red River began to recede Sunday after rising to record levels, but officials cautioned residents not to let their guard down, especially in the face of an approaching winter storm.

"We are very confident now that (the) river is in a slow decline," said National Weather Service meteorologist Greg Gust. "Hopefully, it will be at about 38 feet by next Sunday."

At 2:15 p.m. Sunday, the river was at 39.93 feet, down from its earlier Saturday level of 40.61 feet and below the previous record level 40.10 set in 1897. River levels were expected to stay below 41 feet and slowly drop over the next three to seven days, the weather service said.

By Sunday morning, two deaths and 50 injuries had been reported in flood-related incidents. The injuries included victims of car wrecks caused by flooded roads, epidemiologist Kirby Kruger said. Other illnesses, including mental health issues, carbon monoxide poisoning and cardiac-related events were reported, Kruger said.