Flood warning issued, sand bags available for area residents

The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for the West Fork of the Des Moines River.

The flood warning includes the area from Bradgate south to Fort Dodge and goes into effect immediately and will continue until further notice. The river level is expected to reach 16.8 feet, which is nearly 7 feet above the flood stage of 10 feet at the Sumner Avenue Bridge. This level is predicted to crest on Wednesday, June 26, at 1 p.m. Until then we will see rivers continue to rise rapidly.

This flooding is being caused by rainfall along the west branch of the Des Moines River in northern Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota. Any rainfall that this area sees over the next 24-72 hours could greatly impact these levels.

The Humboldt County Emergency Management Operations Center will open for flood operations effective immediately and will be providing updates every morning at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. through this event.

Sandbags will be made available to those household in need that are in the impact area. Starting Saturday, June 22, filled sandbags will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Humboldt County Secondary Roads facility, located at 2221 220th Street, Humboldt.

You and your family should be prepared for a flood plan if you are within the area of impact.

For the latest river and stream observations and forecasts, refer to weather.gov/desmoines/water

Kyle Bissell
Humboldt County Emergency Management Agency
515-890-0018
kbissell@Humboldtcounty.iowa.gov