1 dead as floods prompt rescues in Iowa and South Dakota
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Flood warnings were in place for parts of Iowa (above), Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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IOWA – Parts of the Upper Midwest remained under flood warnings on June 23 after days of heavy rain caused major flooding, leaving at least one person dead in South Dakota and forcing evacuations and water rescues across the region.
Flood warnings were in place for rivers in parts of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin. A flood warning means that flooding is imminent or already occurring.
In South Dakota, torrential rain fell across the central and eastern parts of the state for three days.
One person died as a result of the severe weather, said South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem at a news conference on June 23. She did not provide any details about the person or the circumstances of the death.
Several rivers in the state broke water-level records, and the Big Sioux River was projected to set a record of 13.9m on the afternoon of June 24, Ms Noem said.
In Iowa, rivers have crested several feet above levels reported during a 1993 flood that left 50 dead across the Midwest, according to the state’s governor, Ms Kim Reynolds. By June 23, she had declared a disaster for more than 20 counties, and at a news conference, she described the projected damage as “staggering”.
On June 22 alone, emergency responders had conducted 250 water rescues, more than 1,000 people had been sheltered, and more than 1,900 properties had been damaged, with hundreds destroyed, Ms Reynolds said on June 23.
Some cities were without power, others were without drinkable water. Hospitals and nursing homes had been evacuated and many businesses were shuttered.
“The devastation is severe and it’s widespread,” she added. “It’s not over yet.”
Flooding in southern Minnesota left “entire communities under feet of water”, state governor Tim Walz said in a news release on June 22
Mr Walz declared a peacetime emergency, authorising the National Guard to aid local emergency responders. The city of Waterville received approximately 36cm to 46cm of rain, he said.
The flooding in the Midwest has caused devastation in Rock Valley, Iowa, where the Rock River rose to a record level early on June 22. That led city officials to issue emergency evacuation orders for many of the city’s 4,000 residents. The city was without clean water because its wells had been contaminated by floodwaters, the local authorities said on social media. NYTIMES
