At least two people have died as a result of devastating floods in the US midwest. Flood warnings remain in place across South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota as more rainfall and storms are expected to hit the region this week.
More than 3 million people have been affected by days of flooding that washed away homes and submerged vast swaths of farmland. On Sunday, a railroad bridge connecting Iowa and South Dakota collapsed from flooding.
William Schulze, 75, of Elburn, Illinois, died while trying to drive through rapid flood waters in Iowa. His body was found on Monday. Kim Reynolds, the governor of Iowa, issued a disaster emergency proclamation in response to flooding, and on Monday night, Joe Biden approved federal funding to aid the state with recovery efforts.
“The projected damage is staggering and at this time it’s estimated that at least 1,900 properties are impacted and hundreds have been destroyed,” said Reynolds at a Sunday press conference. “Businesses are shuttered, main streets have been impacted, hospitals, nursing homes and other care facilities were evacuated.”
Kristi Noem, the governor of South Dakota, has also declared a state of emergency. At a Sunday news conference she shared that at least one person has died in South Dakota as a result of flooding. No additional details of the fatality were shared.
“My heart goes out to the families on McCook Lake whose homes were destroyed by this flooding,” Noem said in an X post. “We are working on a schedule for families to get their belongings. Until then, downed power lines, sinkholes, and other threats make it too dangerous to go in alone.”
In Minnesota, a dam on the Blue Earth River partially collapsed on Tuesday. State officials warn that the Rapidan dam, built in the early 1900s, is in “imminent failure condition”. The water surging over the dam eroded river banks, and at least one house collapsed into the river. On Monday, a power station was washed away, leaving roughly 600 households without power.
On Saturday, Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, declared a peacetime state of emergency authorizing the national guard to help with flood response efforts.
“This is an extremely challenging time,” Walz wrote on X. “But we have rebuilt before, and alongside our local and federal partners, we will rebuild again.”
Today, Brad Finstad, the Minnesota congressman, met with the mayor of Jackson, Minnesota, a city located near the Des Moines River. The water levels there are expected to crest at 16.2ft (4.9m) today.
