(Des Moines) Floodwaters breached levees in western Iowa Tuesday, creating dangerous conditions that prompted evacuations as the flooded Midwest faced another round of severe storms forecast later in the day.
The Monona County Sheriff’s Office, south of Sioux City near the Nebraska border, said the Little Sioux River had breached levees in several areas. Evacuation orders were issued and roads closed in two small towns, emergency management officials said. There were no immediate reports of any injuries.
Iowa state transportation officials said they plan to close sections of I-29 and I-680 north of Council Bluffs on Tuesday due to rising floodwaters.
Flooding has damaged roads and bridges, closed or destroyed businesses, forced hospitals and nursing homes to evacuate and left towns without power or drinking water, the governors of Iowa and South Dakota said . Authorities reported hundreds of water rescues.
Severe storms were forecast Tuesday afternoon and evening, with large hail, damaging winds and even a brief tornado or two in parts of western Iowa and eastern Nebraska, according to the National Meteorological Agency. Showers and storms were also possible in parts of South Dakota and Minnesota, the agency said.
PHOTO TIM HYNDS, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Firefighters from Sioux City, Iowa, assist a man.
The weather service also predicted nearly 30 major flooding spots in southern Minnesota, eastern South Dakota and northern Iowa, as well as nearly 40 flooding spots. moderate. Flood warnings are expected to continue throughout the week.
President Joe Biden agreed Monday to declare a major disaster for affected Iowa counties, a move that paves the way for federal aid to be provided.
Late Monday in Correctionville, Iowa, the level of the Little Sioux River reached nearly 30 feet, about 12 feet above flood stage, according to the state weather agency.
The flooding in the region, which affected areas from Omaha, Nebraska, to Saint Paul, Minnesota, also occurred during a large and persistent heat wave in the Midwest. Dangerously hot and humid weather was expected again Tuesday in the Omaha area.
Last week’s storms in the United States brought heavy rains, with up to 46 centimeters of precipitation south of Sioux Falls, the weather service said.
Places that did not receive as much rain had to deal with excess water arriving from upstream. Many rivers, especially with additional precipitation, may not peak until later this week as floodwaters slowly flow down a network of rivers toward the Missouri and Mississippi. Missouri will peak in Omaha on Thursday, said Kevin Low, a weather service hydrologist.
Heavy rains caused the deaths of at least two people. On Saturday, an Illinois man died while trying to get around a barricade in Spencer, Iowa. The Little Sioux River swept away his truck, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said. Authorities recovered his body on Monday.
Another person has died in South Dakota, Governor Kristi Noem announced, without providing further details.