Slowly, then suddenly, a home overlooking the Blue Earth River and Rapidan Dam in Minnesota collapsed into the water on Wednesday, as rising waters wreaked havoc across the Midwest.
A day earlier, homeowner Jenny Barnes spoke to NBC News on a bench near the property — a spot that has now also been washed away.
The Barnes’ nearby cafe, the Rapidan Dam Store, popular for its pies and ice cream, has been preserved. “We don’t know what will happen. Minute by minute is unfolding before our eyes and it is difficult to experience,” said a post on the store’s Facebook page Wednesday, adding that the family-owned business “has didn’t sell his last hamburger or his last piece of pie.”
It’s just one story of the many homes and businesses being lost in the region. In Sioux City, Iowa, people with homes along the river returned to their homes Wednesday to find scenes of destruction.
At least 20 rivers remain in major flood stage, especially in southern Minnesota and northwestern Iowa.
And even more severe weather could be on the way, with the potential for storms in the upper mid-Mississippi Valley Thursday night through Friday. About 6 million people are at risk from storms in the Rockies and Northern/Central Plains.
The heaviest rain, about 3 to 5 centimeters, will fall south of the affected rivers, but even a small amount could cause more flooding.
There is a small chance of excessive rainfall, the National Weather Service said in a forecast, increasing the risk of flash flooding.
The agricultural lands in the region have been severely affected by the floods. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday that the Upper Midwest received twice the normal amount of rain last week, with as much as 10 inches falling in some places.
Brad Dehn, a crop farmer with more than 3,000 acres in Wright County, Minnesota, said his soybeans are stunted and his corn is shorter than normal.
“The roots are shallow, they haven’t sunk deep yet,” Dehn said. “That’s not to say things can’t get better, but there are challenges for the future,” he told NBC affiliate KARE from Minneapolis.
As people affected by floods begin to rebuild their lives, officials warn that scammers could take advantage of victims.
Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand said Wednesday that fraudsters posing as legitimate contractors can disappear without completing or even starting repair work.
“They literally go around the country after storms and try to take advantage of people who are in the worst situation of their lives,” he told KARE. “And we have to be careful of that.”
The Home Builders Association of Greater Siouxland warned people against paying the full price of any work upfront.
Storms also lashed the Northeast on Wednesday, knocking out power to more than 250,000 energy customers in the region as of Thursday morning. New York City was hit by severe storms that brought lightning, hail and high winds to the metro area, downing trees and power lines.
About 10 million people are at risk of severe storms in the Central Plains and Midwest on Friday, with large hail and high winds possible for western Nebraska and parts of Kansas. The threat of tornadoes is greatest in northeastern Kansas and northwest Missouri.
At least 21 million people in the southern states were under a heat warning on Friday. Areas of Texas, Oklahoma and South Carolina can all reach temperatures above 100 degrees, a measure of how warm it actually feels when it’s humid.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
