As flooding continues, Gov. Tim Walz authorizes Minnesota National Guard support

The sun finally returned to much of Minnesota on Sunday, but communities across the state continued to deal with the fallout of flooding caused by heavy rains in the past week.

Gov. Tim Walz on Saturday declared a peacetime emergency, authorizing the Minnesota National Guard to help. The Guard was poised to deploy to the southern Minnesota town of Waterville on Sunday morning, where flooding from the Cannon River caused significant damage, forcing some residents to evacuate.

“Flooding has left entire communities under feet of water, causing severe damage to property and numerous road closures,” Walz said in a news release. The Le Sueur County Sheriff requested help from the Guard for operations and logistics, according to the governor’s office.

On Sunday, Le Sueur County Emergency Management also posted an urgent ask for help sandbagging in Waterville. The county said Waterville’s drinking water remains safe. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who visited Waterville on Sunday, posted that some 1,000 volunteers had filled about 70,000 sandbags.

In Windom, the west fork of the Des Moines River is forecast to reach its record high, set in 1969, on Wednesday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Cities across southern Minnesota, including Henderson, Northfield and Faribault, were also dealing with flooding.

The Cannon River, which flows through downtown Northfield, reached major flood stage early Saturday and remained there Sunday.

As of Sunday morning, the swollen Cannon River reached heights just below its record of 901.5 feet, set in 2010, according to stream gauge data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Flood stage for the gauge is at 897 feet.

The river was forecast to remain at roughly 903 feet level before starting to decline Sunday night, per NOAA.

The city of Faribault asked motorists to stop driving around barricades designed to keep people away from flooded areas.

In a post on X Sunday morning, the city said emergency services have responded to “far too many calls regarding individuals in the flood water and/or individuals going around barricades.”

The flood-beset city of Henderson called an emergency City Council meeting for Monday to declare a local emergency due to flooding, the city posted on Facebook.

“The following meeting is a formality that activates the City of Henderson’s Emergency Plan during periods of flood waters. It will also qualify the City for FEMA aid (if available),” the city wrote.

“Come hell or high water,” organizers of Henderson Sauerkraut Days posted on Saturday, the annual festival will go ahead Friday through Sunday.

There were active flood warnings in northern Minnesota expected to last days.

“Even 6 inches of fast-moving water can knock you off your feet and a depth of 2 feet will float your car,” the alert for the South Kawishiwi River near Ely said, urging caution.

In the metro area, the Mississippi River was on the rise. In flood-prone St. Paul, the river was expected to reach minor flood stage Sunday and major flood stage Tuesday, according to NOAA forecasts.

St. Paul Parks and Recreation Director Andy Rodriguez posted pictures on X of water on bike and pedestrian trails near the river in St. Paul.