good evening. in minot, north dakota, the river has finally crested, but the damage has been done. and a lot of folks there are still holding their breaths. 4,000 homes and businesses under water. 11,000 people displaced. and officials say despite the fact the water level in the souris river is expected to start dropping, until the highest water passes, they are not out of the woods. and all eyes right now are on the levees, the last line of defense. these have been some anxious hours in and around the city of minot. that s where nbc s john yang starts us off tonight. good evening, john. reporter: good evening, lester. the city is holding its breath. the army corps of engineers are standing by in case any of these levees fail. the advance of this water may have been swift but the retreat is going to be agonizingly slow. this water isn t going anywhere any time soon. in minot today, the furious effort to reinforce the last lines of defense around the city s critical infrastr