Several properties and roads along Minnesota’s Blue Earth River were destroyed by floodwaters caused by a dam break on Monday, and residents in low-lying areas were warned to evacuate the riverbank.
Scary footage Shared by Fox Weather It shows the moment a powerful current along the river erodes its banks, causing a small building and nearby trees to be engulfed by the raging waters.
Destroyed buildings could be seen being slowly swept away by the floodwaters, cascading down small waterfalls and disappearing into the mist.
Other videos taken from the scene showed a dire state at the 114-year-old Rapidan Dam, with debris from the storm building around it and showing it was “imminently vulnerable to failure.”
Water was seen spilling out of a large crack in the dam, eroding the ground around nearby homes and threatening to engulf them in floodwaters.
The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for downstream areas until 10:30 a.m., and residents in low-lying areas of the Minnesota River basin were warned to monitor conditions and evacuate if necessary.
Blue Earth County officials said the dam failure was caused by high water levels and debris from weekend flooding that hit the dam.
Gov. Tim Walz said at least 40 counties were affected by flooding as of Monday, but no serious injuries or deaths have been reported so far.
“As we see these disruptive climate events, I think we need to think about how we build a more resilient recovery,” Walz said at a news conference.
Minnesota wasn’t the only state to experience severe flooding, with Iowa also seeing record water levels from the weekend storms, according to Governor Kim Reynolds.
Flooding in Iowa has killed one person, damaged thousands of homes, prompted evacuations and a natural disaster declaration.
The flooding caused major rises in the Rock River, Big Sioux River and Little Sioux River, breaking flood level records at 16 locations across Iowa, Reynolds said.
High water along the Big Sioux River also caused the collapse of a major railroad bridge connecting Iowa and South Dakota. Reported by Kare11.
Sioux City officials said water levels on the Big Sioux River at Riverside peaked at 45 feet Monday morning, far surpassing the previous record of 37 feet.
“Roads are damaged. Bridges are damaged,” South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said of the damage facing her state. “We’re going to feel the effects for many months to come.”
