A dam in south-central Minnesota failed Monday morning, raising fears of flooding for at least 45,000 residents in the valley below.
Citizens in low-lying areas of the Minnesota River Valley have now been asked to evacuate – as authorities continue to monitor whether the Rapidan Dam will fully fail.
The 114-year-old Blue Earth River Dam is about 90 miles southwest of Minneapolis. Aerial footage shows a house just meters from being completely engulfed by floodwaters.
Debris began piling up on Sunday following abnormally high rainfall levels, leaving the century-old dam “in a state of imminent failure”.
As of 10:36 a.m. Monday, the river had eroded the land around the west side of the dam near the south side of Mankato to the point where water was cascading over the concrete, with accumulated flooding now endangering the city of 45,140 inhabitants.
Scroll down for video:
Rapidan Dam in south-central Minnesota collapsed Monday morning, sparking fears of flooding for nearby residents.
Citizens in low-lying areas of the Minnesota River Valley have been asked to evacuate — as officials continue to monitor whether the 114-year-old Blue Earth River Dam will completely collapse.
In an alert issued Monday as images showed parts of the dam in ruins, Blue Earth County Emergency Management said, “We do not know if it will completely fail or if it will remain in place.”
“However,” the agency added, “we have determined that it is necessary to issue this notification to inform downstream residents as well as the appropriate regulatory and other local agencies.”
Meanwhile, debris washed up by the torrent of water continues to rush downstream as power outages have also been reported in surrounding areas.
The Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office said Monday morning that it was aware of the outages and working to correct them, but did not provide details on how many homes were affected.
In its own statement, the National Weather Service described how the outage is expected to cause the portion of the river that runs through Mankato to crest just below major flood status Tuesday morning.
Twenty other cities, like Fairmont, are also in the flash flood radius because water has already washed away much of the dam, raising questions about its structural integrity for years.
Gov. Tim Walz and state emergency response officials cited such scrutiny when issuing their own statement Monday morning because nearby roads
“I know the structural integrity of the dam has been a question for a long time,” Gov. Walz said of the long-standing structure, built in 1910 by the Ambersen hydraulic construction company.
Authorities are warning residents downstream of the risk of debris and rising waters, which have already washed away part of the dam and several nearby buildings.
Le Sueur County residents – numbering more than 28,000 – must evacuate, especially those living in low-lying areas of the river valley.
“Removing the dam is an issue that has been raised.”
He and other officials are warning residents downstream of the risk of rogue debris and rising waters, which have already washed away part of the dam and several nearby buildings, photos show.
They are telling Le Sueur County residents to evacuate, especially those in low-lying areas.
Parts of Mankato near the Blue Earth River meet that criteria and are expected to take the brunt of the flooding as it reaches a predicted tipping point Tuesday.
Until then, the NWS issued a flash flood warning for the thousands living downstream until 4:30 p.m., although no official evacuation orders had been given.
That said, in Minnesota, local law enforcement cannot impose an evacuation – with the decision to issue such an order ultimately left to Walz himself.
Eric Weller, director of emergency management for Blue Earth County, told the Star Tribune by phone Monday morning that “the dam could fail” and that everyone deemed to be in danger has been notified.
He added that despite the lack of an official order, many have already left their homes after the dam “failed”, and anyone in danger has already been asked to consider leaving.
Parts of Mankato near the Blue Earth River meet that criteria and are expected to bear the brunt of the flooding as it reaches a predicted tipping point Tuesday.
Without providing details, he said those who had not been warned were probably not in danger, although things could change as the scale of the crisis is measured again on Tuesday.
In the meantime, authorities are preparing for the worst: Swollen waters were observed Monday crossing the west side of the dam, causing debris to build up in the river.
Officials are monitoring the County Road 33 and County Road 90 bridges to see if this debris will continue to pass downstream and plague motorists, prepared to close the roads if necessary.
Footage above shows homes near the west side of the dam, located dangerously close to the torrent of water, which at the time of writing continues to send more water than usual downstream towards cities like Mankato, not to mention the debris.
Pieces of county infrastructure are among the debris currently being sent downstream, officials said — as they continue to keep tabs on the unfolding event.
Before this happened, the dam’s generators provided enough electricity to power up to 3,000 residences in the surrounding area.
The number of them left without power has not yet been known.
Rapidian Dam was built between 1908 and 1910. It is 87 feet high and 475 feet long and is made entirely of concrete.
Officials are currently implementing the opening steps outlined in the Rapidan Dam Emergency Action Plan, a guidance outlining how to respond to such a failure and help potentially affected people remain on standby.
As it stands, the current river level is 28 feet – dangerously close to the capacity of the dam’s levee system, which is 39.5 feet.
“We continue to monitor the condition of the dam with local officials,” Kristi Rollwagen, director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said Monday.
“We were informed of the situation around 4 a.m. this morning. We are also looking at cellular communications towers in the area and working to find resources there to support cellular communications.
“Right now the integrity of the dam is intact, but we will continue to monitor it and be aware of what is happening.”
Governor Walz added that state agencies, as of Monday afternoon, “are in close contact with Blue Earth County and other local officials regarding the future effects of the dam(s) on Mankato.”
“Emergency management is on the ground and acting quickly to keep Minnesotans safe as the situation evolves,” he said.
DailyMail.com has contacted Walz’s office for more information on the exact number of people at risk.
This is a developing story; please check back for updates.
dailymail us
