North Sioux City homes flooded, railroad bridge collapsed after rivers hit record capacity

South Dakota endured a weekend of significant flooding, and the state is not out of the woods yet.

Gov. Kristi Noem and regional officials addressed the public Monday morning about the flooding situation that has inundated eastern South Dakota since Thursday and sent a large slug of historic rainfall into the Sioux City area Sunday night.

North Sioux City received the brunt of the flooding, Noem relayed to reporters and community members during a press conference. An undetermined number of homes along North Shore Drive were hit by rushing waters, Noem said, with some residences considered lost.

Union County Emergency Manager Jason Westcott said the rapid influx of floodwaters hit the area in the span of about 30 minutes.

This forced officials to evacuate residents on North Shore Drive from Exit 4 to the Dakota Valley High School. Swift water rescue teams performed several rescues and evacuations, Westcott said.

"What occurred yesterday was the result of mitigation efforts. If we did not take mitigation efforts, much of North Sioux City would be underwater," Westcott said. "We are here for you. We feel the impact along with you."

One of the most significant developments occurred Sunday night, when record-breaking river levels caused a BNSF railroad bridge to collapse into the Big Sioux River.

"That is the main bridge going into Iowa that a lot of commodities and different materials move on throughout the state," Noem said. "That'll impact us for many, many months to come."

South Dakota Congressman Dusty Johnson, present at the governor's press conference, said he is in contact with U.S. House members and federal transportation officials and working to assess the ripple effects of the damage to the bridge.

"I don't yet know what does that mean for biofuels, what does that mean for bases on grain, what does that mean for aggregates, but as we get that assessment, obviously, we'll be providing that information to the governor and to the communities," Johnson said.

As far as individual assistance to impacted South Dakotans, Johnson said, "I would be surprised if there will not be a robust federal assistance."

Noem also reiterated her plans to receive financial support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. On Saturday, the governor signed an executive order to issue an emergency declaration, a step toward that support.

Damage estimates must hit FEMA's threshold of $1.6 million for the state to be eligible for the emergency funds, which Noem said would occur "for sure."

However, Noem told an Argus Leader reporter during Sunday's press conference about the situation she does not anticipate activating the National Guard to respond to the flood event. As for mandating evacuations for the area, that would occur if it becomes dangerous, she said.

"At this point in time, that has not been requested," Noem said. "We have private contractors in the community that is better prepared, and we believe they can do the work quickly, so they stand ready."

One person has died so far as a result of the regional flooding, Noem said. She did not elaborate further on the incident, citing privacy concerns for the victim's family. She declined to answer another reporter's question about where the fatal event took place.

On Saturday, a elderly man died following a UTV crash near Lake Alvin, 5 miles east of Harrisburg, according to a press release from the South Dakota Department of Public Safety press release Sunday.

It is not clear if the two events are related.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: North Sioux City flooded, railroad bridge collapsed after rainfall