In the wake of historic flooding event which swamped scores of homes in Waterville and drenched low-lying areas across the region, Le Sueur County declared a state of emergency on Tuesday morning.
Over the past week, constant storms inundated Le Sueur County with 14-16 inches of rainfall. Of the communities impacted, Waterville was hit the hardest. Streets were submerged in waters as high as three feet while hundreds of homes were flooded with overflows from Lake Tetonka, Sakatah Lake and the Cannon River.
The State of Emergency declaration has been submitted to the State of Minnesota to initiate the formal process in requesting a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster declaration that opens potential eligibility for federal disaster assistance.
“Le Sueur County Department of Emergency Management continues to work in close coordination with the city of Waterville, Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Office, and other partners to meet the immediate needs of those impacted by the flooding,” said Tammy Stewig, Le Sueur County Director of Emergency Management. “We are also taking the critical steps needed to transition to recovery and clean-up at the appropriate time.”
County Administrator Joe Martin said the county had been staging sandbagging operations with the city of Waterville since early June in anticipation of the flooding. Aggressive bagging efforts started the week of June 17 and picked up from June 19 through June 23.
"Despite all these efforts, many roads and structures in Waterville have been flooded and critical city wastewater and infrastructure continue to need to be protected," said Martin.
In response to the flooding, Le Sueur County has implemented two EMS incident command posts. The first was established in Waterville last week to address the immediate damage while the second — an emergency operations center — was activated on Monday to address long-term countywide issues and recovery.
As of Tuesday morning, Martin reported the county has filled 131,000 sandbags which were deployed in Waterville with the help of over 1,000 people ranging from local, county, state and federal emergency crews to ordinary citizens. The county also has a stockpile of 100,000 bags which could be filled should the situation in Waterville continue to worsen.
“On behalf of the entire Board, our hearts go out to those whose lives, homes, and businesses have been impacted by this historic flood,” said Steve Rohlfing, Le Sueur County of Commissioners Chairman. “We also extend our deep gratitude to over a thousand volunteers; the county Highway Department, Emergency Management team, and Sheriff’s Office; the city of Waterville; our other city, county, state, and federal partners; and first responders that have dedicated significant time and resources to support those impacted by the flood waters.”
“The county has been significantly impacted by the flood, but we still do not know the full extent of damage,” continued Rohlfing. “As flood waters recede, our dedicated team will continue to focus on providing assessment and recovery resources to those impacted throughout the County.”
The National Guard arrived to assist in the emergency operations on Monday, providing support to protect the community's pump stations in order to prevent the failure of Waterville's water treatment infrastructure.
Flooding has also impacted the city of Le Sueur's wastewater infrastructure. Martin said the county was closely monitoring the situation and was in close communication with the city of Le Sueur to ensure its lift station is shut down and bypassed.
“We know that the continued response and recovery will be a long process and ask for continued patience,” said County Commissioner David Preisler who represents the hardest impacted areas. “We are committed to supporting the immediate needs of those impacted. At the same time, we are determined to examine long-term solutions for flood mitigation, which will require state and federal resources.”
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