Floodwaters have ravaged several small-town tourist destinations in northern Minnesota and turned a village in New Mexico into a lake after a deluge of rain earlier this week. In St. Louis County, Minnesota, residents are using kayaks and boats to navigate flooded streets, while in Willard, New Mexico, a storm unleashed heavy rain and hail, causing significant damage. The National Weather Service warns of more rain in Minnesota in the coming days, posing a threat to areas with saturated ground and swollen rivers.
The storm in northern Minnesota has caused road washouts, cutting off access to lakeside resorts and causing millions of dollars in damage. St. Louis County officials have declared a disaster, estimating $50 million in damage and the closure of over 40 roads. Despite improvements in flood defenses, smaller towns like Cook and Biwabik have been severely affected. Governor Tim Walz plans to tour the damage in these areas to assess the situation.
Ryan Horner, who runs the Comet Theater in downtown Cook, describes the devastation, with the theater covered in three feet of water. The flooding has reached chest-deep levels in some areas, causing significant damage to properties. Near Lake Vermillion, roads into Glenwood Lodge have been cut off, leaving the resort accessible only by boat. In Willard, New Mexico, the overlap of wildfire and monsoon seasons has led to catastrophic flooding following devastating wildfires.
Commercial truck driver Mike Bischoff found himself caught in the storm in Willard, with hail pouring down and flash floods surrounding him on the road. The storm caused hail, flash floods, and a funnel cloud, creating a dangerous situation for drivers. The Southwest has been experiencing extremely dry and hot conditions, fueling wildfires like the South Fork Fire in Ruidoso. Evacuations were carried out for hundreds of homes, businesses, and other facilities in the region as the fires raged out of control.
The situation in the affected areas is dire, with residents and officials grappling with the aftermath of the storms and flooding. The damage caused by the floods in Minnesota and the extreme weather events in New Mexico have left communities reeling, with significant cleanup and recovery efforts ahead. The overlapping of wildfire and monsoon seasons in New Mexico has created a unique and challenging situation for residents and emergency responders, highlighting the unpredictable nature of weather events in different regions. As the cleanup and recovery efforts get underway, authorities are working to assess the extent of the damage and provide support to those affected by the natural disasters.
