Northern Minnesota dealing with aftermath of flooding
DULUTH, Minn. (FOX 9) - Northern Minnesota is dealing with the aftermath of substantial rainfall on Tuesday that toppled trees, washed out roads, and caused damage to some areas.
Officials in St. Louis County met Thursday morning to consider declaring a state of emergency after Tuesday's storm dropped 2 to 6-plus inches of rain. Crews in northern Minnesota are still working to assess damage caused by the significant rainfall.
At one point, more than 40 roads were closed throughout St. Louis County. MnDOT has also shut down several roads and bridges from Tuesday’s storm and is ahead of potential flooding as more rain is on the way. To see a full list of closures, click here.
Flood damage in northern Minnesota
The Little Fork River in Cook overflowed and flooded the street, leaving businesses and homes surrounded by water. South of Cook in Biwabik, the road was damaged and sewer and gas lines were exposed after the city experienced life-threatening flash flooding.
The Voyagers Retreat areas and Giants Ridge lost their water source after lines were washed out at a time when summer vacations are picking up.
"People expect to come up here on vacation, and last night around midnight, when people started waking up and going to the bathroom. That’s when people started calling there’s no water pressure," said Gilbert Police Chief Ty Techar. "I believe the lodge at Giant’s Ride was close to that 50% occupancy and there’s still a fair amount of golfers that are trying to enjoy the summer."
Chief Techar said they are working on alternative water sources, but the City of Aurora is sending water trucks as crews work to restore utilities.
Meanwhile, in Hibbing, a street turned into what looked like a small lake, in which two cars were almost submerged. A resident says the flooding is so bad that water seeped into her house.
"Our whole yard was flooded. It went up past my ankles. The little bit [of water] in the basement got it wet, and we had to move and basically clean it again," said resident Stephanie Vincent.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says it's closing some trails, campsites, and even portions of some state parks because of flooding. Visitors are urged to check the DNR website for alerts before heading out to the parks.
Tettegouche State Park bridge destroyed due to flooding
Previously damaged by a storm in 2022, the bridge over the Baptism river further deteriorated on Tuesday, making it now impassable.