Footage captured the moment a family’s home collapsed into the Rapidan Dam following historic flooding across Minnesota.
Property owner Jenny Barnes, whose family has operated The Dam Store for five decades, admitted days earlier that it was no surprise to see her house fall into the Blue Earth River.
‘It will happen. “We don’t know when, but it will be inevitable that the house will collapse,” Barnes said. KARE.
The Minnesota home teetered precariously on the river’s edge for years, but the imminent failure of the Rapidan Dan dangerously eroded its foundation and caused it to collapse Tuesday.
Footage captured the moment a family’s home collapsed into the Rapidan Dam following a historic flood.
The house, which served as a local store for decades, teetered on the edge of the Blue Earth River when the Rapidan Dam began to fail before erosion destroyed its foundation Tuesday.
The drop came days after the region was hit by torrential rains that caused heavy flooding, which put undue stress on the Rapidan Dam.
Officials said the dam is expected to break, and Barnes said he woke up early Monday morning to the sound of explosions next to the dam.
The noises turned out to be the failure of an electrical substation near the dam when heavy rain fell, with footage showing the currents flowing over the dam and eroding the foundation of his house.
Barnes said his brother and father were home at the time, and later Monday they were forced to evacuate the home his family has lived in since 1972.
In an alert issued Monday as images showed parts of the dam in ruins, Blue Earth County Emergency Management stated: “We do not know if it will fail completely or if it will remain in place.”
“However,” the agency added, “we determined that it was necessary to issue this notice to inform downstream residents and the appropriate regulatory and other local agencies.”
Rapidan Dam store owner Jenny Barnes (pictured) recalled the moment she heard loud bangs and saw flashes of light at 2am on Monday and knew it was time for her family to evacuate.
Barnes said he woke up early Monday morning to the sound of explosions at the dam, which were an Xcel Energy substation failing (pictured) as a result of the flooding.
Officials say Rapidan Dam reached point of ‘imminent failure’ due to flooding
The shop has operated next to the dam since 1910 before Barnes’ father bought it more than 50 years ago and it became a local favorite known for its homemade pies.
—That’s our life too. That’s our business; that is our livelihood. “He means everything to us,” Barnes told Fox9 on Monday.
‘It will happen. We don’t know when, but it will be inevitable that the house will collapse.
Authorities said the eventual collapse occurred Tuesday night and continued to monitor the debris for possible downstream impacts.
Locals gathered around the river to watch the moment the house collapsed, and residents said they were sad to see the main store fall to pieces.
‘For some people, this is a historical monument. For us, it’s a life-changing event,” said resident Shannon Whittet. CBS News.
‘We grew up going there and eating pie. I mean, take a ride, have a Pepsi, have some ice cream and I used to go play in the river down there,’ added local John Lippman.
Although officials say the dam is in “imminent failure condition,” Sheriff Jeff Wersal emphasized that a “catastrophic event would not be as significant.”
Failure of the dam would cause the river’s water level to rise about two feet, but the river also has a system of levees that officials say they are confident will prevent extensive damage.
Locals gathered around the river to watch the moment the house fell, and residents said they were sad to see the main store collapse.
Barnes (left) and his family have operated the store since 1972, and it had become a local favorite known for its homemade pies.
Barnes admitted, while his house was still standing, that he expected it to collapse, adding: “It will happen.” We don’t know when but it will be inevitable that the house will go.
In its own statement, the National Weather Service described how the failure will cause the portion of the river that runs through Mankato to peak just below major flood status Tuesday morning.
Citizens in the lower-lying areas of the Minnesota River Valley have been told to evacuate, as officials continue to monitor whether the Rapidan Dam will completely give way.
Twenty other cities, such as Fairmont, are also in the flash flood radius, as the water has already washed away a large portion of the dam, raising questions for years about its structural integrity.
Gov. Tim Walz and state emergency response officials cited such scrutiny in issuing their own statement Monday morning, as nearby roads are in danger of overflowing.
“I know the structural integrity of the dam has been an issue for a long time,” Governor Walz said of the old structure, built in 1910 by Ambersen Hydraulic Construction Company.
The Rapidan Dam was built between 1908 and 1910. It is 87 feet high and 475 feet long and is made entirely of concrete.
Officials are currently implementing the initial steps outlined in the Rapidan Dam Emergency Action Plan, a guide that outlines how to respond to such a failure and assist potentially affected people who are being kept in the background.
