Transcripts

ELIZABETH BEYER: In the five years, they've lived in their home, Kali Sletten and her husband Craig, have never seen the Maple Creek in front of their house overflow until today.

KALI SLETTEN: I'm just kind of in that panic stage. I don't know where to go. 5 and 1/2 years and we've never had this happen. It's like, I feel like I'm turning every which way and not actually accomplishing anything yet.

ELIZABETH BEYER: The creek crested early Thursday morning. All day long, water gushed through the park that separates the creek from dozens of homes in danger of flooding. By mid-morning, the water in the Sletten's front yard was ankle deep and they'd already pumped their basement twice. A small army of friends and neighbors gathered to help them build a sand barrier.

SPEAKER: You guys know you have river front property here.

ELIZABETH BEYER: The Sletten home is one of dozens near Maple Creek that neighbors and officials are working vigorously to protect. Kali Sletten says fire department officials came to their house in the morning and encouraged them to evacuate.

KALI SLETTEN: They came by quite a while ago and told us that it's up to us. But they said it's not done yet. And once we get the farm water and everything, it's going to come up pretty high.

ELIZABETH BEYER: Officials say at least a dozen streets in Owatonna are still unpassable. Another 20 streets around Steele County are also submerged in dangerously high water. Mayor Tom Kuntz says crews are working primarily to protect the homes in Sletten's neighborhood near the Straight River and Maple and Turtle creeks. He says the city evacuated and turned off gas utilities on about a dozen homes there.

TOM KUNTZ: A couple basements have collapsed, and we've had some out in the rural Steele County area that have had some damage, and we've had to have some couple boat rescues to get people to some safe, dry ground.

ELIZABETH BEYER: Kuntz says the city's public utility building is also in danger of flooding. Emergency management officials have asked for support from the Army Corps of Engineers to try to build some dykes around it. All 100 or so city employees are working on flood relief. And Kuntz says the city is asking for volunteers to help fill sandbags.

TOM KUNTZ: We have tried to save whatever critical areas we can. And we have not been able to provide some assistance to some of the residential customers, but have made sandbags available for them if they want to come and pick them up.

ELIZABETH BEYER: Kuntz and city officials around Southern Minnesota are asking residents to be cautious while driving tonight. Already, emergency officials have had to make several car rescues, which takes them away from tackling the other rain and flood issues.

Just a few miles north of Owatonna in the town of Medford, volunteers and officials also spent the morning filling sandbags. The town's park was underwater, but none of the homes were damaged. John Anhorn is with the Medford fire department. He says the city is doing everything it can to protect the most vulnerable locations as water continues to rise.

JOHN ANHORN: Well, we've got some low lying areas. Our park is quite low. We have a building down there, so we sandbagged around that. We have a house or two down there that-- well, really more or less a house, it gets quite vulnerable and we have that sandbag.

ELIZABETH BEYER: Around the region, the American Red Cross has opened shelters in Owatonna, Zumbrota, Elgin, and Rochester. More storms will continue to move through the state, and they could drop another two inches on the region. Elizabeth Beyer, Minnesota Public Radio news, Owatonna.