The Bridge That Gushed Over the Big Sioux’s River: How Many Houses Were Shutted Over Monday Night?
“Normally, this river is barely a trickle,” 71-year-old Hank Howley said as she watched the Big Sioux’s waters gush over a broken and partially sunken rail bridge in North Sioux City, South Dakota, on Monday. “You could walk across it all the time.”
Officials said the bridge fell into the river on Sunday night after connecting the cities of S.D. and Iowa. Images on local media showed a large span of the steel bridge partially underwater as floodwaters rushed over it.
There were no reported injuries from the collapse. The bridge’s owner, BNSF Railway, had stopped operating it as a precaution during the flooding, spokesperson Kendall Sloan said. The railroad said the bridge was used by only a few trains per day and did not expect rerouting to have a significant impact.
The previous record was broken Monday morning at around 45 feet, according to the Fire marshal Mark Aesoph.
In North Sioux City, the South Dakota Department of Transportation built a berm Sunday night across Interstate 29 to stem flooding, temporarily blocking the major route. In other areas where the interstate remained open, water crept toward the road. Howley, who has lived there for 33 years, said she has a growing concern over more frequent severe flooding around I-29.
As new areas were flooding Tuesday, some cities and towns were cleaning up after the waters receded while others downstream were piling sandbags and taking other measures to protect against the oncoming swelled currents. Some normal, unassuming tributaries ballooned into rushing rivers, damaging homes, buildings and bridges.
“I just keep thinking about all this stuff I’ve lost and maybe the little things I could recover that we put up high,” said Aiden Engelkes in the northwestern Iowa community of Spencer, which imposed curfews during flooding that surpassed a record set in 1953.
Families with children and a person in a wheelchair were evacuated from homes that were flooded over the weekend, according to the director. Gov. Kim Reynolds said the department conducted 250 water rescues on Saturday.
More rain is possible in the deluged Midwest as flooding threatens a dam, says A. Spencer, 38, of Spencer, Iowa
The sheriff’s office said that the western support structure for the Rapidan Dam failed, after the dam became plugged with debris. Flowing water eroded the western bank, rushed around the dam and washed out an electrical substation, causing about 600 power outages.
The emergency management director for the Blue Earth County sheriff didn’t expect the concrete dam to fail, because the bank will likely erode more. Two homes were evacuated.
A 2019 Associated Press investigation into dams across the country found that the Rapidan Dam was in fair condition and there likely would be loss of property if it failed. Two studies said it would take upwards of 15 million dollars to repair and 80 million to remove.
In Spencer, Engelkes still wasn’t able Monday to get back into his apartment on the first floor of a building close to the Des Moines River, nor could he go to work at a flooded chicken hatchery.
He spent more than seven hours Saturday in a friend’s fourth-floor apartment, waiting to be rescued by a boat, his Chevy SUV under roiling waters. Rescuers broke a window in a second-floor stairwell, and almost 70 people were taken away by boat in small groups.
Engelkes and his girlfriend left with a bag of clothes, three cats in a carrier, and a kitten his girlfriend carried in her shirt. Their apartment had about 4 feet of water. They’re now staying with his mother on higher ground.
Source: More rain is possible in the deluged Midwest as flooding kills 2 and threatens a dam
Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska Floods Following a Man’s Truck Injured at a Barricade in Spencer, Iowa
The White House said that Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel were on the ground in Iowa and that President Joe Biden’s homeland security team briefed him about the flooding.
On Saturday, an Illinois man died while trying to drive around a barricade in Spencer, Iowa, Sioux City’s KTIV-TV reported Monday. The Little Sioux River swept his truck away, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said. Officials recovered his body Monday.
Places that didn’t get as much rain had to contend with the extra water moving downstream. Many streams will not crest at least until later this week as the floodwaters slowly drain down a web of rivers to the Missouri and Mississippi. The Missouri will crest at Omaha on Thursday, said Kevin Low, a weather service hydrologist.
Flooding in those states has also come during a vast and stubborn heat wave. The communities that were hit by the flooding were under an excessive heat warning. The Omaha area was forecast to be in the midst of hot, humid weather Tuesday.
The National Weather Service predicted severe storms with large hail and damaging winds for Tuesday afternoon and evening in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska. Showers and storms are also possible in parts of South Dakota and Minnesota, the agency said.
The sheriff’s office in Monona County, near the Nebraska border, said the Little Sioux River breached levees in several areas. In neighboring Woodbury County, the sheriff’s office posted drone video on Facebook showing the river overflowing the levee and flooding land in rural Smithland. No injuries were immediately reported.
Patrick Prorok, emergency management coordinator in Monona County, described waking people at about 4 a.m. in Rodney, a town of about 45 people, to recommend evacuation. The water hadn’t yet flowed into the community.
Iowa Floodwaters Break Levees and Bridges: How Many Homes and Businesses Have Been? South Dakota State Geoologist Tim Cowman and State Forester Ben Thomas
South Dakota state geologist Tim Cowman said that the five major rivers in the state’s southeastern corner have crested and are dropping, albeit slowly. The James crested early on Tuesday, the last river to do so.
President Biden approved a major disaster declaration for affected counties in Iowa on Monday, a move that paves the way for federal aid to be granted.
To the south in Sioux City and Woodbury County, Iowa, officials responded to residents’ complaints that they had received little warning of the flooding and its severity. Sioux City Fire Marshal Mark Aesoph said at a news conference Tuesday that rivers crested higher than predicted.
We didn’t have anything to say at this point even if we knew about it two weeks ago. “We can’t extend the entire length of the levee,” he said. “It’s not possible.”
Homes on the south side of Spencer, Iowa, near the Little Sioux River are unlivable as water has reached the main floor, resident Ben Thomas said. A lot of people in town are facing a double harm, with businesses affected.
Officials in Woodbury County said around a dozen bridges over the Little Sioux River had been topped by flood water, and each would need to be inspected to see if they can reopen to traffic.
An animal rescue in northwest Iowa has answered over 200 calls since flooding started, according to a wildlife rehabilitator.
Hase described the flooding as “catastrophic” for Iowa wildlife, which are getting washed out of dens, injured by debris and separated from each other. She and others are responding to calls about various animals, from deer to birds.
Further to the east in Humboldt, Iowa, a record crest of 16.5 feet was expected Wednesday at the west fork of the Des Moines River. Over 68,000 bags have been laid, according to the county emergency manager.
Bissell said that there was no water on the streets yet, but the water was reaching up to foundations in some backyards. Humboldt is home to nearly 5,000 residents.
In Michigan, the number of homes and businesses that were without power Tuesday morning was over 130,000, less than a week after storms left a lot of people in the dark.
Source: Iowa floodwaters breach levees as even more rain dumps onto parts of the Midwest
What do you think about climate change? The Polk County Emergency Management Agency’s study of the Saylorville Lake floodplain and Minnesota governor Tim Walz
According to the Polk County Emergency Management Agency, the lake above Saylorville Dam was absorbing river surge and was expected to mostly protect the metro area from flooding. By the Fourth of July, the water levels at Saylorville Lake are expected to rise by more than 30 feet according to the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
Minnesota governor Tim Walz cautions against rebuilding too quickly, instead emphasizing sustainable repairs that could prevent future flooding.
“Despite your beliefs about climate change, nature will always care whether you believe in it or not,” he said. “The insurance companies sure believe in it. The actuarials think it’s right and we do.