Southern Minnesota counties declare states of emergency after floods caused $200,000 in damage

Once again, residents across southern Minnesota are cleaning up after severe weather this summer, with two of the largest counties in the region declaring states of emergency this week.

In Lyon County, a powerful storm system over the weekend brought high winds that exceeded 70 miles per hour and torrential rain that dumped about half a foot of water, said Bob Byrnes, mayor of Marshall, which is about 150 miles southwest of the Twin Cities.

In response, the Lyon County Board signed its second state of emergency declaration of the summer on Tuesday. The county’s emergency management director, Emily Coequyt, said the weekend storm caused at least $60,000 in damage to public infrastructure, with the full assessment to come when roads are no longer underwater.

The storm, which downed trees and flooded streets, comes after an earlier freak rainstorm in July dumped 5 to 8 inches of rain on Marshall in a matter of hours.

Lyon County is not alone. In Blue Earth County, officials this week declared a state of emergency and requested state aid after floods caused more than $163,000 in damage in July. Last weekend’s rainfall totals ranged from 3 to 5 inches in the Mankato area and in Montevideo in western Minnesota, and 5 inches in the Marshall area and east of Red Wing into Wisconsin, the National Weather Service said.

Two large rainstorms in July dropped about 5 inches of rain on Mankato and the surrounding area, Blue Earth County emergency management director Eric Weller said.

The flooding damaged the Red Jacket Trail and the Homestead Apartments in Mankato, leaving dozens of residents displaced.

Hurricane-force winds in June caused at least $8.2 million in damage to the Bemidji area. Big Stone and Renville counties declared states of emergency after storms swamped fields across rural southwestern Minnesota, with some farmers losing 15% of their crops.

Minnesota, like much of the Midwest, has become hotter and wetter over the decades. Climate scientists say that trend will continue, and cities across the state are installing new flood basins, replacing outdated sewer lines and taking other steps to reduce flood risks.

The rains this summer are coming a little later than usual, said Weller, who managed the county’s response to flooding at the Rapidan Dam last year.