Midwest flooding: At least 2 dead as heavy rains collapse a bridge, threaten a dam and trigger evacuations

Severe flooding in the Midwest has left at least two people dead as heavy rains caused a bridge to collapse, a historic dam to be on the brink of failure and an entire town to be cut off by floodwaters.

More than 3 million people from Nebraska to Minnesota have been affected by the days-long deluge.

Deadly flooding in Iowa

In Clay County, Iowa, on Saturday, a man died while trying to drive around a barricade near a surging river, officials there said. According to Sioux City’s KTIV-TV, floodwaters swept the man’s truck away, and his body was recovered Monday.

The town of Spencer, Iowa, was cut off from the rest of the state by the floodwaters. Spencer Fire Chief Jesse Coulson told NBC News that nearly 400 people were rescued and hundreds of others were evacuated to shelters.

President Biden declared a major disaster in Iowa Monday night and approved federal aid to help recovery efforts.

South Dakota rail bridge collapses into river

In South Dakota, a railroad bridge connecting North Sioux City, S.D., with Sioux City, Iowa, collapsed and fell into the Big Sioux River late Sunday night. A spokesman for the company that operates the bridge said no one was injured in the collapse.

Sioux City Fire Marshal Mark Aesoph said that the river crested Monday morning at a record 45 feet, more than seven feet higher than the previous record.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said that at least one person died as a result of the floodwaters in the state. According to the Argus Leader, an 87-year-old man died Saturday afternoon in a UTV crash on a road that was washed away near Lake Alvin.

Dam on verge of ‘imminent failure’ Minnesota

In southern Minnesota, officials warned that a dam built in the early 1900s is on the brink of collapse as a result of the flooding.

In a Facebook post, Blue Earth County officials said that the risk to the Rapidan Dam near Mankato is grave.

“The Dam is in imminent failure condition,” the Facebook post read. “We do not know if it will totally fail or if it will remain in place, however we determined it was necessary to issue this notification to advise downstream residents and the correct regulatory agencies and other local agencies.”

More severe weather is on the way

According to the National Weather Service, severe storms were forecast for parts of western Iowa and eastern Nebraska Tuesday afternoon and evening with large hail, damaging winds and even a brief tornado or two possible.

Showers and storms are also possible in parts of South Dakota and Minnesota, the agency said.