The camels have shown a mischievous side, trying several escapes and, recently, operating the light switches with their tongues. The whining of the gray wolves, recently relocated to another zoo, spooked some of those working the overnight shift. And on Friday, a zookeeper chased after a potbellied pig while little Noah pranced happily alongside the pens. He had learned from experience, though, to steer swiping distance clear of the bobcats’ abode.

“All of it is very strange,” said Haley McClure, a seasonal zookeeper with the Roosevelt Park Zoo.

The floodwaters climbed to levels never before recorded in this city on Friday, pouring over protective barriers and into the low-lying neighborhoods that more than a quarter of this city calls home.

The spreading Souris River, known here as the Mouse after its French name, filled houses, closed bridges, washed out railroad tracks and, as more and more water arrived, left residents wondering how high it would rise. There was growing concern that the city would be effectively split in two by the water.

The flood was long predicted, forcing an evacuation several weeks ago and again this week as warnings of devastation escalated. As a result, many residents had time to save belongings from homes that now stand in rushing water reaching close to some roofs.