Heavy rains cause flash flooding in southeastern MN
People had to be evacuated from farms in the West Concord area of southeastern Minnesota, after heavy rains caused flooding Sunday night and early Monday morning.
Dodge County authorities say fire departments and other people worked to get rural residents out of the area. Dodge County Emergency Management Director Ryan Chartier said about three inches of rain fell over two hours in the northern part of the county.
"As of now we had two people that needed to be evacuated," said Chartier. "And a lot of roads in Ellington Township and the city of West Concord that have been barricaded off due to water over the road."
Chartier said officials are still tallying up the damage. He does not know how many homes have been affected by the flooding. Chartier warns drivers and residents to be careful.
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"Please do not drive through any standing water or drive around barricades," Chartier said. "Those are there for their safety, and these roads and their conditions are not safe for travel at this point."
Several roads to the west and northwest of West Concord washed out. The National Weather Service has extended a flood warning for northern Dodge County through 3:30 p.m. Monday.
In Steele County, the weather service said about 40 homes in Owatonna were affected by storm sewers backing up into basements. An estimated three to five inches of rain fell across the area. Much of southeastern Minnesota is rebuilding after devastating floods this summer.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)