Historic Flooding Being Reported in the Midwest This Week

The same severe system that poured heavy rain and tornadoes to Nebraska on Monday night and South Dakota Wednesday night has now made its way into parts of South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota, causing historic flooding in some areas. On Friday, residents in many states continued prepping for the rising water, and people began lining up to purchase sandbags and moving their items to higher ground. This is typical for summer. Clusters of thunderstorms with heavy rain are possibly through the weekend in parts of the already flooded Upper Midwest and Plains States.

A mudslide occurred along the Mississippi River, and it led to a partial road closure and a mandatory evacuation of some employees in a Minneapolis hospital. The mudslide occurred around 7 P.M, sending a 100 yard swath of the bluff onto the road and the river below. About 6 to 8 feet of pure mud were left on the West River Parkway, but thankfully, no injuries were reported. This mudslide was caused after flash flooding and torrential rains flooded the area Thursday.

In North Sioux City, many National Guard soldiers rushed to fill sandbags for residents in the nearby neighborhoods where up to 400 homes were threatened by possible flooding. Crews were also rushing to build a temporary levee that will run across Interstate 29. It should protect a lot of North Sioux City, but will end a few miles off of the Interstate. This will force motorists onto local roads between Sioux City, Iowa, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and to the north.

Also, flood waters blocked many of the roads that connect South Dakota and Iowa between Sioux Falls and Sioux City.
Governor Daugaard declared a State of Emergency for SD on Tuesday, and ordered the opening of a State Emergency Operations Center to monitor effects of the heavy rain and coordinate the states response to disaster.

On Thursday, flooding occurred in the Twin Cities metro area, sending Minnehaha Creek out of its banks along the southern part of Minneapolis. In Iowa, roads were washed out and a landslide closed an intersection in Potosi, Wisconsin. Basements were flooded, and some even collapsed in Minnesota.

On Tuesday, the National Weather Service reported that Mankato received about five inches of rain overnight which in turn, overwhelmed the city’s sewer system. Since last weekend, severe thunderstorms and heavy rains have caused rises on the Minnesota River, and numerous smaller streams in the area. Also, along the South Dakota-Iowa border, heavy flooding caused many homes to be completely destroyed.

In Rock Rapids, Iowa, about 60 or more homes have had waist deep water in them, and many have shifted away from their foundations and have damaged basement walls. A levee in Rock Rapids broke on Tuesday night, but thankfully the river is now receding.

The Big Sioux River is setting record flood levels at Howarden and Akron where it peaked on Tuesday. A levee was also broken in Akron, causing the need for residents to be evacuated. The city is now pumping out floodwaters to protect their City Hall and other buildings. The Missouri River is predicted to rise into next week as far as Omaha, and St. Joseph Missouri. While it isn’t expected to reach the massive flooding that occurred in 2011, there is still a possibility that farmlands, roads, parks, and a few buildings near that river may flood.

Check out The Weather Channel for more details.

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