Family watches as house falls into Blue Earth River

RAPIDAN TOWNSHIP, Minn. (FOX 9) - The worst outcome from the Rapidan Dam’s partial failure has arrived.

The Hruska family watched their home fall into the Blue Earth River Tuesday night and that might not be the last of their losses.

It's a family tragedy playing out in slow motion.

It’s a waiting game now to see if their store — sitting there for more than 100 years now — will also fall in.

Expressions of shock filled the east bank of the river as the water swallowed the home.

On the west bank, the view was much closer and more personal.

"A tree fell on that side," said Shannon Whittet, pointing to the north side of her family's property. "Part of the fence fell on that side. And within hours, the whole thing was gone."

The family knew the home was a total loss, basically dangling over the river as water bypassed the Rapidan Dam on the west side Monday.

But as the flow slowed Tuesday, they started to hope for the best.

Every update restarted their emotional roller coaster.

"We're going to be OK," Whittet said they felt, as the whiplash continued. "It’s all going. It went. It’s not. Where are we going?"

A lot of onlookers watched the house fall and dozens more came Wednesday to see the aftermath and share a little piece of the family’s grief.

"It was on our bucket list this summer to come get the pies with them," said Christine Perk as she started tearing up. "And so it's kind of sad to not be able to do that."

The house and the dam store stood along the river for more than 100 years.

The business and the pies have been synonymous with the Hruska family since the 1970s.

But now the store stands alone and maybe not for long.

Engineers and Blue Earth County leaders are worried the erosion could soon take out the bridge just south of the dam.

And losing the store now seems inevitable.

"It feels like a death to our family and we’re waiting for the last piece to die off," Whittet said.

If the store does not fall into the river, the family is hoping they can pick it up and move it to another location and get the business up and running again.

They have started a GoFundMe page to do that and to rebuild the family home.