Floods that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has described as “catastrophic” have taken over much of the state, leaving “entire communities underwater.”
Officials in Waterville said their area is experiencing the worst flooding in history and the Minnesota National Guard has been activated to help with the toll. Walz declared a peacetime state of emergency for the state over the weekend, allowing the National Guard to be deployed.
“Across the state, heavy rain has had catastrophic impacts. Flooding has inundated entire communities, causing severe property damage and numerous road closures,” Walz said.
The emergency proclamation says Waterville, which is sandwiched between Lake Tetonka and Sakatah Lake in Le Sueur County, has received between 40 and 50 inches of rain, pushing those lakes and the Cannon River to “uncontrollable levels.”
“Residents have been evacuated and the flooding has already caused significant damage,” the proclamation issued Saturday said.
“It’s all hands on deck here in Waterville. The water continues to rise and officials say they don’t know when it will stop,” CBS News Minnesota’s Jason Rantala reported Sunday.
“We just have too much water,” Le Sueur County Commissioner David Preisler said.
Locals have posted numerous photos and videos of the damage on social media. One resident said Sunday evening that “hundreds of huts and houses” were flooded, along with most of the downtown area. At his home, he said there was about 18 inches of water in the shed and around the cabin.
“The water is over a meter deep in some places,” they wrote on Facebook. “Several roads in the city are impassable and in many places the fire brigade restricts access.”
CBS News Minnesota also reported that officials this the worst flood to ever hit Waterville while 1,000 people volunteered this weekend to fill sandbags to prevent worse damage.
The National Weather Service says the weather impacting flooding in Minnesota may not be over yet. Monday’s early morning forecast shows a slight risk of severe thunderstorms during the evening hours, and the service says that if storms develop, “they will likely have significant severe weather.” Local river levels are also still rising and flooding remains a concern, forecasters said.
