Midwest flooding

At least 2 are dead from catastrophic Midwest flooding and a Minnesota dam is at risk of collapse

By Andy Rose, Lauren Mascarenhas, Amanda Musa and Christina Zdanowicz

At least two people are dead after severe storms and major flooding hit the Midwest, according to officials, and a dam in southern Minnesota built in the early 1900s is at risk of collapse.

The Blue Earth County government announced Rapidan Dam near Mankato was in “imminent failure condition,” in a Monday Facebook post.

“We do not know if it will totally fail or if it will remain in place, however we determined it was necessary to issue this notification to advise downstream residents and the correct regulatory agencies and other local agencies,” the county said.

The dam – which has been in a “state of disrepair,” according to a 2021 study – was still standing Tuesday morning, and the county said there are no current plans for mass evacuations.

The flooding in Blue Earth County is also threatening the family home of resident Jenny Barnes and their nearby business The Dam Store, CNN affiliate KARE reported.

“It’ll happen. We don’t know when but it’s going to be inevitable that the house is going to go,” Barnes told KARE.

The Dam Store, known for its homemade pies, has been in business since 1910 and owned by Barnes’ family since 1972.

“That’s our life, as well. That’s our business; that’s our livelihood. It’s everything to us,” Barnes told KARE. “There’s no stopping it. It’s going to go where it wants to go. It’s going to take what it wants to take. And everybody pray that it doesn’t take The Dam Store.”

Severe flooding has wreaked havoc across the Midwest for several days, leaving at least two people dead. A man died in Clay County, Iowa, while trying to drive across rapid floodwaters on Saturday, according to the county sheriff’s office. The same day, an 87-year-old man died in a flood-related crash in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, according to South Dakota Highway Patrol.

In Iowa, days of catastrophic flooding and severe storms prompted President Joe Biden to approve a disaster declaration for some areas, freeing up federal funding for relief efforts.

A levee failure on the Little Sioux River Tuesday morning prompted the evacuation of several Iowa communities along the river.

The city of Rodney in northern Monona County has been evacuated, with roads closed off to the public, the Monona County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post Tuesday morning, noting water had breached the levee in several spots.

Authorities reported the levee failure just south of the city of Smithland at about 5:00 a.m. Tuesday, the National Weather Service said.

A flash flood warning was issued for Rodney, the nearby city of Smithland and other rural areas near the river, officials said.

About 30 miles north, significant flooding left the city of Correctionville closed to non-residents, according to Woodbury County Emergency Management.

Further north in Sioux City, homes along the Big Sioux River were evacuated after water levels reached nearly 45 feet on Monday, officials said.

“All homes in the area that have been evacuated have been checked by first responders,” the city said in a Facebook post Monday. “17 people were assisted by boat from the flooded area.”

In Minnesota, Blue Earth County officials were first notified of “accumulating debris” at the Rapidan Dam on Sunday. Workers from Blue Earth County Public Works, the emergency management agency, and the sheriff’s office are actively monitoring the dam, according to the Facebook post.

The Blue Earth River has cut around the west side of the dam, emergency management said, carrying damaging debris in its wake and causing power outages.

In a Monday evening update, the county noted that although there was a “partial failure on the west abutment,” the “dam is still intact.”

“Our agencies are in close contact with Blue Earth County and other local officials regarding the Rapidan Dam near Mankato,” Gov. Tim Walz said in a statement Monday. “Emergency management is on the ground and acting quickly to ensure the safety of Minnesotans as the situation develops.”

The dam, which was completed in 1910, is owned by the county and is capable of generating 6 million watts of hydroelectric power. It’s about 70 miles southwest of Minneapolis.

Dams can break for a number of reasons, including overtopping due to flooding and structural failure, according to FEMA.

A 2021 report from Blue Earth County noted that regular flooding over the years, along with the “toll of time,” have caused significant damage to the dam. The report identified two solutions: repair or remove the dam. The county noted that both options have significant costs.