Eyes on Mississippi River as flood cleanup continues across Minnesota

Cleanup from major flooding continued Friday in parts of Minnesota heading into a weekend that’s expected to deliver drier weather statewide.

Heavy rain early Friday was an unwelcome sight, and there was the potential for more showers and storms across Minnesota later in the day. As of Friday morning, though, forecasters said they didn’t think it would raise rivers substantially, even as water pooled in low areas.

“We're at the point, it seems like, that we start thinking about that transition to what comes next, the rebuilding piece of this,” Gov. Tim Walz said Friday morning, adding, “we know this is incredibly trying.”

‘Extensive damage’

In Blue Earth County, officials continued to monitor the Rapidan Dam southwest of Mankato.

The rain-swollen Blue Earth River carved a path around the dam earlier in the week, destroying a home and an electrical substation. Flooding conditions are also endangering the nearby Rapidan Dam Store and a county highway bridge.

As of Friday morning, county officials said the store remained standing. They said the dam and the bridge both appeared to be stable, although the volume of water continued to hinder efforts to mitigate the erosion. They’re working now on long-term barriers and security for the site.

The flood fight and cleanup continued in Waterville, Windom, Jackson and other southern Minnesota communities that saw creeks, rivers and lakes spill over their banks after torrential rain in the past week.

Walz has requested a federal major disaster declaration to activate aid for flood cleanup. Federal crews are currently in the state to assess damage as the request is in process.

Tom Sivak is a regional administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He said on Friday that damage assessment is ongoing, and the federal government will determine aid after reports are in.

“There's extensive damage across the state of Minnesota,” Sivak said. “We want to understand the extent of the flood damages so we can understand the needs of the residents.”

FEMA crews and their partners will soon start going door-to-door in impacted areas to ask residents about flood damage, Sivak said.

He advised residents to take photos of any flood damage when possible, and ask insurance companies for guidance on documentation.

Focus turns to Mississippi River south of St. Paul

The Minnesota Department of Transportation on Thursday reopened U.S. Highway 169 between Mankato and St. Peter, as water levels dropped along the Minnesota River.

Downstream, the Minnesota River was still rising Friday closer to the Twin Cities. The Mississippi River also was on the rise at St. Paul and Hastings. The primary concerns now are for St. Paul and farther south along the river.

At St. Paul, the river has flooded Harriet Island Park and a stretch of Shepard and Warner roads near downtown. It’s forecast to crest at 20.8 feet over the weekend, which would be the seventh-highest crest on record.

In Cottage Grove, the rising water level along the Mississippi prompted city officials to close a bridge and causeway that provide access to Lower Grey Cloud Island.

City officials said they’ve gone door-to-door to talk with residents on the island about the closures. They’ve also provided sandbags to the owners of some properties that might be affected by flooding.

Officials are watching forecasts for additional rain and potential severe weather on Monday and Tuesday next week, although the rain that fell Thursday night “will not have any significant impacts to the ongoing flooding,” said Dan Hawblitzel, meteorologist in charge at the Twin Cities National Weather Service office.

While the rain might keep rivers from receding, the risk of additional flooding is low this week, he noted. Soils are saturated, but the rivers can still handle more water, and this weekend’s clear skies should help ease the effects of the predicted 1 to 2 inches of rain, he said.

Northeastern Minnesota could see some rain Friday night but more widespread flooding isn’t expected, and the weather looks relatively dry Saturday afternoon through Sunday.

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