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Mower Co. floods damage homes and property
Flash floods blocked roads and damaged homes in Mower County. FOX 9's Karen Scullin has more on how residents are recovering.
LEROY, Minn. (FOX 9) - Floodwaters surged into homes in southeastern Minnesota on Wednesday, leaving families scrambling for safety and crews working around the clock to clean up the aftermath.
Water rushes into homes, causes chaos
What we know:
Homeowners in LeRoy, Minn., say it took about three minutes for water to rush in and take out a basement wall, destroying a bedroom and everything inside. On the other side of the creek, water rose quickly and entered another home, sending the family inside into chaos as the water reached chest height.
Mower County Sheriff Steve Sandvik helped with the rescue, describing the scene as "extremely traumatizing for them. I don’t want to speak for them, but I was there personally and you see it in their eyes, you hear it in their voice. Very dramatic for them, it happened extremely quickly, they never thought it would go to wow the creek's getting high to a foot of water on their first floor."
The family of four, their dogs and a kitten made it out safely, but they lost some rabbits and other animals.
Flooding spreads to Austin and other areas
Why you should care:
The fast-rising water did not just hit LeRoy. Austin and other nearby areas were also affected as drainage pipes reached capacity, causing water to push up through home drains faster than people could manage.
Austin Police Chief Michael Hartman described the scramble to keep homes dry.
"At that point, it’s all hands on deck with whoever’s around. You’re using shop vacs, bailing water, you’re doing whatever you got available to keep your stuff dry and safe and hopefully not have a wrecked basement," said Hartman.
Restoration crews are now working to soak up what’s left behind. Streets, parks and some roads also flooded, causing damage.
Nathan Olok’s car, parked on the street in Austin, was flooded and still has water inside.
"Think your car can be saved? Maybe, hopefully, I love that car. I just got it. So yeah, hopefully," said Olok.
The American Red Cross and local businesses are helping with cleanup and relocation for those who need it. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.
What we don't know:
Authorities have not yet provided a full estimate of property damage or a timeline for when all affected areas will be fully restored.
The Source: FOX 9’s Karen Scullin spoke with local officials, residents and restoration crews for this story.