Midwest Flooding Causes Bridge Connecting Iowa to South Dakota to Collapse, Evacuations Triggered

Heavy rains have been lashing the Midwest, causing intense flooding in the states of South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota. The flooding was so intense that a steel railroad bridge that connected North Sioux City, South Dakota and Sioux City, Iowa collapsed thanks to the Big Sioux River overflowing.

Jason Westcott, an emergency manager in Union County, South Dakota, stated that some of the bridge's trusses collapsed, leading to the river sweeping the bridge away. The horrific incident was caught on camera as flood waters continued to rise over the last few days.

Nobody was injured from the collapse, according to PBS news, which reached out to the BNSF Railway which owned the bridge. However, the company's officials did not immediately comment.

More rain is expected to fall, which means that many rivers may not crest until later this week. This includes 13 rivers in Iowa, which forced several entire neighborhoods, as well as at least one entire town, to evacuate. The town of Spencer, Iowa even imposed a curfew Sunday for a second night after record flooding.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced that 21 counties in northern Iowa are now in a disaster as flooding overtook entire communities, with just the roofs of houses and treetops being visible from the sky.

"Businesses are shuttered. Main streets have been impacted," she said. "Hospitals, nursing homes, and other care facilities were evacuated. Cities are without power, and some are without drinkable water."

Reynolds has already deployed the state's National Guard to the affected areas. They helped with water rescues and carted needed medications lost in flooding.

Midwest Flooding Kills At Least 2 People

While nobody was hurt when a bridge that connected Iowa and South Dakota collapsed, there were at least two fatalities in other parts of the Midwest as flooding enveloped several parts of the region.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who is currently under fire for shooting her dog, stated that at least one person died in her state, though she did not provide any additional details. Meanwhile, an Illinois man died on Saturday as he tried to go around a barricade in Spencer, Iowa.

According to the Associated Press, the latter died after his truck got swept away by the Little Sioux River. Officials soon found his vehicle in the treeline but were not able to recover his body until Monday, citing dangerous conditions.

Minnesota Dam Near 'Imminent Failure' Thanks to Midwest Flooding

It is not only Iowa and South Dakota that have been severely impacted by the heavy floods all over the Midwest, but also Minnesota, where a dam near Rapidan faces "imminent failure" thanks to the floods causing some structural damage, according to NBC News.

The NWS issued a flash flood warning for areas downstream of the Rapidan Dam along the Blue Earth River. For now, the structure is still functional, and there is still no plan for a "mass evacuation," though they are still monitoring the situation.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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