UNDER WATER
Residents at the New Richland Care Center had to be evacuated after the area received more than nine inches of rain in just a few hours late Friday night. The 36 residents were transported to area facilities within 45 miles, including six to Prairie Manor in Blooming Prairie. Photo courtesy of Jessie Nino
More than nine inches of rain fell in some spots of New Richland late Friday night, prompting emergency evacuations by pontoon of nearly 40 residents from the local care center.
Staff from the New Richland Care Center began moving residents out of the facility about 5:30 a.m. Saturday; water breached the doors about 6:30 a.m. and climbed more than two feet up the walls.
NRHEG students pushed a neighbor’s pontoon to the nursing home to help move supplies and evacuate the residents.
The residents were taken to NRHEG High School first, then transferred to facilities within about 50 miles – including Blooming Prairie. Still, many personal items remained in the building.
“We are incredibly grateful to have been in the position to open our doors and welcome six of these displaced residents into our care center, which will be their home for an undetermined amount of time,” Prairie Manor officials said in a Facebook post Saturday evening.
“Please join us in keeping them, their families and their staff in your thoughts and prayers. It has been a long day for them, but we are doing everything we can to make them feel safe, comfortable and loved,” the post continues.
“We also lift up all the residents who were sent to other locations, as well as all the wonderful facilities welcoming them in during this transition… It takes a village at every stage of life’s journey.”
The post also requested clothing (large and extra-large) for a younger female; and long-sleeve shirts and sweatpants (extra-large and 2XL) for the older displaced residents. Socks were also requested.
Back in New Richland, nearly 10 other people were rescued from the mobile home park; firefighters went door-to-door by boat.
Student-athletes, dozens of residents, a group of migrant workers who stay in town and other community members also filled sandbags and distributed them where needed throughout the day Saturday.
By Sunday morning, it was estimated that 80% of the structures in town had been affected as cleanup and recovery efforts began. Multiple homes and businesses were destroyed.
Ellendale saw upwards of seven inches of rain Friday night into Saturday, leading to sewer backups “and a lot of wet basements,” said Steve Engel, clerk/treasurer for the city.
The heavy rainfall made keeping up with the inflow and infiltration of the sanitary sewer system difficult, he said, without additional pumps.
The city has brought in two Dumpsters for Ellendale residents to use for flood cleanup. One is near the city maintenance building on Second Street; the other is at the recycling center on Eighth Avenue, near the railroad tracks.
The Steele County Emergency Management is providing Red Cross clean-up kits; they are available in Ellendale and Blooming Prairie.
If county residents experienced water in their homes or basements from the heavy rain Friday and Saturday, SCEM is requesting they fill out a disaster assessment survey.
Once completed, email scem@steelecountymn.gov to request a clean-up kit.