Record rains slam Mitchell, cause major flooding throughout the region

Jun. 21—MITCHELL — Record-breaking rainfall Thursday night into Friday caused extensive flooding in and around the Mitchell area and beyond, resulting in standing water in basements, impassable roads both in town and in the country and city employees and residents working to contain the damage as another round of rains bore down on the community Friday night.

The flooding has set off a massive response from the city of Mitchell, area law enforcement and various regional county government offices as they work to assist residents who are dealing with flooded roads, basements and everything in between.

Stephanie Ellwein, city administrator for Mitchell, said city crews were in "emergency response mode" on Friday following Thursday night's downpour. On Thursday night, multiple vehicles were already submerged in standing water along some flooded roads in Mitchell.

"We had emergency crews out last night helping people rescue people who were stranded in their vehicles in standing water and people who had flooding in their homes," Ellwein said of first responders' workload Thursday night during the peak of the storm. "We had public works crews blocking public roads last night."

From Thursday afternoon to Friday morning, rain gauges in the Mitchell area measured between 2 and 8 inches. Those are not official measurements from the National Weather Service, which was still assessing rainfall totals Friday.

However, according to the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, Mitchell received a total of 4.87 inches of rain Thursday. That breaks the daily rainfall record for Mitchell set in 1984, when 2.90 inches of rain fell. That total does not include overnight amounts.

In addition, Huron saw a new daily rainfall record Thursday with 2.58 inches, which topped the old record of 2.30 inches set in 2011, and Sioux Falls received 3.50 inches, which edged the previous daily record 3.35 inches, which was set in 2018.

For businesses and residents living in the East Hackberry Avenue area in central Mitchell — an area that has a history of drainage issues — the storm event wreaked havoc. Once again, over a foot of standing water surrounded multiple businesses and homes along East Hackberry Avenue and South Kimball Street.

Early Friday, Klock Werks employees were rolling out water-damaged motorcycles from the showroom, located at 915 S. Kimball Street During the September 2019 flood, Klock Werks was among the local businesses that got hit the hardest.

The scene at Klock Werks was all too familiar for Karlee Cobb, a marketing manager at Klock Werks. Cobb said the water damage inflicted on the custom motorcycle and apparel business during the storm was comparable to the 2019 flood.

"From what I've seen so far, I'd say all of the motorcycles on the main floor are either totaled or will have to be redone since it looks like water got inside them," Cobb said, estimating Klock Werks saw about 3 feet of standing water inside the business amid the peak of the flood.

Many Main Street businesses also had water creep inside when the rain was coming down hard Thursday night.

With more rain forecasted to hit Mitchell throughout Friday afternoon, Ellwein and city officials are closely monitoring water levels in Dry Run Creek. The creek that runs through the central portion of Mitchell is a main artery for collecting stormwater and draining it into the nearest tributaries.

Dry Run Creek rapidly rose to dangerous levels on Friday, city officials blocked off traffic on Burr Street where a bridge sits atop Dry Run Creek near the skate park. City officials said they had evacuated some homes along the creek Friday afternoon.

The Salvation Army of Mitchell is offering emergency disaster flood clean-up kits to residents affected by recent flooding. The comprehensive kits are designed to help homeowners begin the clean-up process. Each kit includes essential items such as gloves, masks, sponges and brushes, a mop and squeegee, cleaning solutions and bleach, and garbage bags.

Distribution will take place at the Salvation Army main office located at 724 Sanborn Boulevard in Mitchell. To ensure availability, contact the Salvation Army office by phone or on its Facebook page in advance to express interest in obtaining a kit. This will allow them to have it ready upon arrival.

According to Mitchell city officials, an emergency shelter at the Mitchell Recreation Center on Main Street has been set up. The shelter will be available starting at 4 p.m. Friday. Two members of the American Red Cross are on-site and ready to assist anyone who has been displaced and needs a place to stay.

A sandbag station was set up at 8:30 a.m. at the Mitchell City Street shop, located by the bypass and 8th Avenue intersection. Materials will be available for the public to make sandbags at the site, but street shop crews will not be assisting.

Officials with the city of Mitchell have also issued a no wake zone for Lake Mitchell until further notice and announced that the city will allow resident to bring materials damaged from the storm to the city landfill from today until next Saturday, June 29, during normal operating hours. Materials will be accepted at no charge.

As floodwaters continued to rise in McCook County, many residents who typically commute to Sioux Falls for work found themselves in a challenging situation Friday morning. With major arteries like Highway 81 closed south of I-90 at mile marker 257, commuters were left scrambling to find alternative routes.

The closure of Highway 42, just one mile east of mile marker 81, further complicated matters for those trying to reach the city. Residents of Bridgewater turned to their local Facebook community page to share real-time updates on road closures and seek advice on alternative routes to Sioux Falls and other destinations. The online platform became a hub for neighbors to exchange crucial information as they navigated travel challenges in the area.

Bridgewater resident Jamie Schryvers encountered flooding while attempting to travel to Sioux Falls. She reported trying several different routes, but each road she took had water covering the surface, making it impassable.

"I was going north and had no luck. I tried 81, the Canistota back road, kept having to turn around," Schryvers said. "I gave up and came back home to work."

According to Nancy Head, a resident of Montrose, 254th Street just east of Montrose is a heavily trafficked road and was completely washed out.

"These roads are no joke! It's going to take some time to repair 254th street," Head said.

McCook County Emergency Management officials emphasized the gravity of the situation, urging residents to stay off roads unless absolutely necessary.

"If people are looking for something better to do than to look or drive through water, there are sandbags to be filled," said B.J. Stiefvater, McCook County Emergency Manager.

According to Stiefvater, sandbag filling stations have been strategically established in both Salem and Montrose. Salem residents can access their sandbag filling station across from the county shed, while Montrose has set up its station across from the fire department.

Mount Vernon issued a water usage restriction due to the heavy rains.

A social media post from the city of Mount Vernon urges residents to use only the water they absolutely need until further notice. The city is also requesting residents not drain their sump pumps into the sanitary sewer and to restrict travel within the city.

Several city streets were completely submerged in Freeman, with fast-moving water moving over roads.

Meanwhile, Hutchinson County Sheriff Maurice Waltner provided a nuanced view of the situation, noting that while many roads have standing water, careful drivers can still navigate some routes. "If drivers use caution and common sense, they are passable if you go slow," he advised, emphasizing the importance of responsible decision-making during this crisis.

By mid morning, Waltner's focus shifted to the local lakes and how much they were rising in level.

The Mitchell Regional Office of the South Dakota Department of Transportation Friday morning said the overnight rains continue to hinder travel throughout the region. Officials urged caution for those on the road.

"Several state highways in southeast South Dakota are being impacted due to flooding rains that the area received overnight," officials with the Mitchell office said in a statement. "Many highways in this portion of the state are currently closed due to the depth of standing or flowing water across the highway. Other routes impacted by flooding are open with the use of flaggers guiding motorists through sections of saturated highway."

With rain expected to continue throughout the day and into Saturday, motorists can expect additional road closures and delays to be put in effect if conditions continue.

* Flooding was reported over the road west of Mitchell on I-90 from the junction of U.S. Highway 281 to Mount Vernon, or Exit 310 to Exit 319. Travelers could expect flooding with direction provided by flaggers as they pass through the area until further notice.

* To the east, state officials said I-90 from three miles east to one mile east of the junction with U.S Highway 81, or Exit 364, also has flaggers out to guide drivers traveling westbound through areas of surface water hazards. Drivers can expect reduced speed until further notice.

* The road and bridge are closed until further notice on S.D. Highway 38 from seven miles west to six-and-half miles west of S.D. Highway 19.

* U.S. Highway 81 from about three miles south to a quarter mile north of the junction with Interstate 90 is also blocked with flooding until further notice. There is also water over the road on Highway 81 from about a quarter mile south to three quarters of a mile north of the junction of S.D. Highway 44 north of Freeman. Roadway flaggers are guiding drivers through that stretch as of Friday morning.

"Motorists are reminded to respect all road closures and not drive around barricades. Driving into flood water areas can lead to potentially dangerous or life-threatening situations," the release from the Department of Transportation said.

The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls Friday morning were forecasting more rain for the greater Mitchell area through at least Saturday morning.

Following a lull Friday morning, heavy rain is expected to return in the early afternoon. The Sioux Falls NWS office indicated that Mitchell could receive another third to a half-inch of rain through 1 p.m. Friday and then another half inch to an inch of rain through 1 a.m. Saturday morning. Rainfall is predicted to taper off after that, with less than a half-inch of rain expected through 7 a.m. Saturday morning.

Totals for Mitchell and throughout the region from Friday through Saturday morning could total as much as two to four additional inches, with locally higher amounts possible. An official overnight rainfall total for Mitchell was not yet available from the National Weather Service Friday morning.

The rains are expected to continue to cause issues throughout the area, including the possibility of home flooding, flooded rivers and flash flooding in some areas.

The region is under a flood warning with more precipitation forecasted Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm appears to be similar to

a blast in 2019 in Mitchell,

when 3 to 8 inches dropped in about a two-day stretch and caused flooding all over the community.

This is a developing story.