Storms on Wednesday afternoon and evening did some serious damage in northeast Minnesota along with dropping massive amounts of rain, and even injuring a younb boy in the Boundary Waters.
Crews worked overnight in Cook County to rescue the boy who was injured by a falling tree.
"The crews made it to the campsite, I think it was about 9:00 when they got to the campsite, did the assessment on the patient and loaded the patient up and worked their way back out," Cook County Sheriff Patt Eliason told the WCCO Morning News with Vineeta Sawkar. "They got back to the landing at approximately 11:00 p.m. where the ambulance was waiting for them. Loaded the patient up and brought him to North Shore Health."
They were camping in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in an area where motorized boats are not normally allowed outside of emergencies. But that can also come with difficulties.
"They were given permission to use motors in the BWCA last night, which was, which was great," says Sheriff Eliason. "But, you know, it's kind of a catch-22 because when you get to a portage, you have to try to get an entire boat and motor across the portage rather than just a canoe."
There's no official word on the boy's condition. Eliason's crews faced several challenges like high winds and heavy rain while trying to reach the injured boy's location.
SIGNIFICANT STORM DAMAGE AND FLOODING
The arrowhead portion of Minnesota, Cook and St. Louis Counties, were hammered by severe weather. There was also a lot of rain across southern portions of the state.
That weather, and the flooding the followed the heavy rain, has created quite a mess and left enough damage behind, the government may be stepping in with assistance.
Homeland Security and Emergency Management director Kristi Rollwagen told Sawkar on the WCCO Morning News that conditions are so wet across the state it is creating a dangerous situation with trees.
"The ground is very wet, and so yesterday, we saw trees toppled in Rochester and we're talking about big trees with, you know, 100-year old roots just because the ground is just so wet right now and so saturated," Rollwagen explains. "have a little bit of wind come through and you're seeing these trees come down."
Rollwagen says the Duluth and Hibbing areas were hit hard last night too. Parts of the Northland saw over three inches of rain on Tuesday.
"So, we're seeing in particular a lot of road damage, culvert damage to some of these communities," she said. "We're anticipating some road closures coming up, if not today, in the near future in a number of communities both north and south of the Twin Cities.
Rollwagen says local emergency management crews are working on damage assessments which will be used to determine if they'll declare a state or federal disaster declaration.
The rain is far from over too. Thursday, Friday and Saturday all have significant chances for more rain and storms across the state. The National Weather Service says another 1-3 inches of rain could fall through Saturday in the Twin Cities. It's the same story in Northern Minnesota where significant rain could fall through Saturday.
FLOOD WARNINGS
There are several flood warnings already, including almost any major river from the Twin Cities on south and west (list below). The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office is issuing a strong warning about water levels in and around rivers and streams.
"Right now the waters are dangerous, so make sure if you're on the water, wearing your life vest," Sheriff Dewanna Witt says. "We know that that's something that needs to happen. People need to know that right now with the current and with the water levels right now to be extra cautious."
A person and a car went into the Minnesota River on Sunday and it took until Tuesday morning for the Sheriff's Office to recover the body and car from the river due to the water conditions.
Flood warning for northeastern Minnesota until 4:00 p.m. Wednesday
* WHAT...Flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues.
* WHERE...In Minnesota, Cook, Lake and St. Louis Counties.
* WHEN...Until 400 PM CDT Wednesday.
* IMPACTS...Flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations is imminent or occurring. Streams continue to rise due to excess runoff from earlier rainfall.
The Flood Warning is extended for the following rivers in Minnesota:
Cottonwood River at New Ulm affecting Brown County.
Cottonwood River Above Springfield affecting Brown County.
Minnesota River at Morton affecting Redwood and Renville Counties.
Minnesota River at New Ulm affecting Nicollet, Brown and Blue Earth Counties.
Minnesota River at Savage affecting Dakota, Hennepin, Carver and Scott Counties.
Minnesota River at Mankato affecting Nicollet and Blue Earth Counties.
South Fork Crow River at Delano affecting Hennepin and Wright Counties.
Crow River at Rockford affecting Hennepin and Wright Counties.
Cannon River at Northfield affecting Dakota and Rice Counties.
The Flood Warning continues for the following rivers in Minnesota:
Minnesota River at Henderson MN19 affecting Le Sueur, Sibley and Scott Counties.
Minnesota River near Jordan affecting Sibley, Carver and Scott Counties.
South Fork Crow River below Mayer affecting Carver County.
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