Young and old, retirees and students, business owners and employees all stood side by side over the weekend to help make and stack sandbags in downtown Northfield along the banks of the mighty, roiling Cannon River.
The community effort on both sides of the river helped businesses and residences try to stay dry, despite a continuing forecast calling for additional rainstorms.
Kristin Stets, whose husband Justin is CEO of Capital Management, said that while “it has been a very long weekend, luckily we are still dry on our lower level.”
Stets explained that as stressful as these floods are — the third “100 year flood” in 15 years — there was something magical about the community coming together.
“I was so struck by people from all walks of life joining in, working hard, getting dirty and smiling,” she wrote in a weekend email. “I suppose in the end we all want to matter, to make an impact, even in a small way. Obviously we are beyond grateful for everyone that showed up.”
She said that one of many favorite images on Saturday occurred while the team waited for more sand to be delivered. During the pause, two volunteers, decades apart who had never met, jumped right in with brooms to get the spot clean and ready for the next sand delivery.
“We are tired,” she said, “and not sure what the next few days will bring, but know we have a remarkable community that has our back.”
On the river’s west side, another hardworking group that included Chris Dietrich, Nic Erickson and Nate Bram, tried to keep the Froggy Bottoms pub and Lily Pad outdoor patio dry. According to an email from Susan Hvistendahl, the sister of building owner David Hvistendahl, the new barriers seemed to be working, along with a lot of pumping and have allowed only a minimum of groundwater inside the historic structure.
On Sunday afternoon, a contingent of state elected officials that included Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Tina Smith and Rep. Angie Craig visited Northfield to tour the downtown flooding. Previously, the trio had stopped in Carver and Waterville to assess the flood damage in those communities.
In Northfield, Mayor Rhonda Pownell and other city and county officials met at the fire station and then took a walking tour along the Cannon River. They spoke with business owners, volunteers and concerned residents.
Emergency declaration
Mayor Pownell also officially declared a local emergency in response to this weekend’s flooding event. Per Minnesota state statute §§ 12.29 and 12.37, the mayor has the ability to declare a local emergency for three days. The Northfield City Council was scheduled to hold an emergency meeting to consider extending the declaration on Tuesday, June 25 at 3:30 p.m. at the City Hall Council Chambers.
The Cannon River crested at 901.52 feet on Sunday evening, June 23. The river reached major flood stage of 900 feet early Saturday morning, June 22 and is expected to stay at major flood stage for several days. The city began following the Emergency Operations Plan last week in preparing for the flood.
Police Chief Mark Elliott has made a request for assistance from the Army Corp of Engineers through state emergency management via the county emergency manager. A representative from the Army Corps met with Elliott and Public Works Director/City Engineer David Bennett on Sunday, June 22 to review the downtown area and additional equipment has been brought in to assist with the water incursion.
“The approval of this emergency resolution will allow state and federal resources to assist in managing this flood emergency in Northfield,” said Elliott.
Gov. Tim Walz had previously declared a peacetime emergency on Saturday, June 22 to assist with emergency flood operations.
City staff is monitoring the situation and will continue to identify options for state and federal assistance with the cleanup and ongoing mitigation efforts.
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