At least two dead as heavy rains cause a bridge to collapse, threaten a dam and trigger evacuations

Severe flooding in the Midwest left at least two people dead as heavy rains caused a bridge to collapse, a historic dam to close to failure and an entire town was cut off from the outside world.

More than three million people from Nebraska to Minnesota were affected by the floods, which lasted for days.

Deadly floods in Iowa

In Clay County, Iowa, a man died Saturday while trying to drive around a barricade near a raging river, authorities said. Floodwaters swept away the man’s truck and his body was recovered Monday, according to Sioux City’s KTIV-TV.

The Iowa town of Spencer was cut off from the rest of the state by flooding. Spencer Fire Chief Jesse Coulson told NBC News that nearly 400 people had been rescued and hundreds more had been evacuated to shelters.

President Biden declared Iowa a state of disaster on Monday evening and approved federal aid to support reconstruction efforts.

Railroad bridge in South Dakota collapses into river

In South Dakota, a railroad bridge between North Sioux City, South Dakota, and Sioux City, Iowa, collapsed late Sunday night and plunged into the Big Sioux River. A spokesman for the company that operates the bridge said no one was injured in the collapse.

Sioux City Fire Chief Mark Aesoph said the river reached a record level of 45 feet Monday morning, more than seven feet above the previous record.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem said at least one person has died as a result of flooding in the state. According to the Argus Leader, an 87-year-old man died in a UTV accident on a flood-swept road near Lake Alvin on Saturday afternoon.

Dam on the verge of “imminent failure” Minnesota

In southern Minnesota, authorities warned that a dam built in the early 20th century was on the verge of collapse as a result of the flooding.

In a Facebook post, Blue Earth County officials said the threat to the Rapidan Dam near Mankato was serious.

“The dam is at risk of breaking,” the Facebook post said. “We do not know if it will break completely or if it will remain standing, but we have determined it is necessary to issue this notice to inform residents downstream and appropriate regulators and other local authorities.”

More storms are approaching

Severe storms with heavy hail, damaging winds and even the occasional brief tornado were forecast for Tuesday afternoon and evening in parts of western Iowa and eastern Nebraska, according to the National Weather Service.

Showers and thunderstorms are also possible in parts of South Dakota and Minnesota, the agency said.