As the state's largest rivers, including the Mississippi, St. Croix and Minnesota, continued to build Monday, Minnesota extended a state of emergency declaration for 35 waterlogged counties.
"We still have a building emergency," Gov. Mark Dayton said. "A lot more is going to need to be done." The move continues the state of emergency, which Dayton declared last week, for another 30 days.
St. Paul filed paperwork with the state Monday declaring a state of emergency as it tries to recoup some of the $1.7 million it expects to spend on flood relief efforts. The Mississippi River is expected to crest in St. Paul at 20.5 feet Thursday, a mark the city says would be its sixth-highest on record.
City officials said they are responding in numerous ways to the rising river, such as erecting flood walls and barricades, closing roads and parks, placing portable pumps at strategic areas throughout the city, adding reserve and off-duty police officers and fire personnel to ensure public safety and increasing crews to support debris cleanup.
"It is a manageable weather event, based on current river crest forecasts, but financial damages to the city are rising," said Tonya Tennessen, spokeswoman for Mayor Chris Coleman.
On Monday afternoon, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced it would release $750,000 to help the state repair flood-damaged roads.
"These funds are a down payment to help Minnesotans begin repairing roads damaged in last week's flooding," Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement. "One of the first steps in getting repairs underway is to make funds available and we are working to ensure the state can get the necessary work started quickly."
The weather was sunny and dry throughout much of the state Monday, though rain was forecast for northern Minnesota. Through midday Monday, the Twin Cities had received 21.67 inches of precipitation since April 1, according to assistant state climatologist Pete Boulay. That's the most for April through June in 143 years of records, and surpasses the previous record of 18.89, set in 1908, with a week left to pad the total. While showers are possible Tuesday through the weekend, heavy rains or severe storms are unlikely, according to the National Weather Service.