Bridge Collapses Into Iowa River After Heavy Flooding
A person holds a dog while being evacuated in the bucket of a front end loader in Hawarden, Iowa, Saturday, June 22, 2024, in the wake of flooding from the Big Sioux River. Massive upstream rainfall sent the river over its banks in Hawarden causing massing flooding that prompted evacuations. (Tim Hynds/Sioux City Journal via AP)
A bridge has collapsed into a river in Iowa after days of rain caused heavy flooding.
A video shared on X, formerly Twitter, shows the railroad bridge submerged in the Big Sioux River. The collapse took place at around 10:40 p.m. on Sunday, authorities told the Sioux City Journal.
"It kind of caved in the center, and is currently in the river," Union County Emergency Management Director Jason Westcott said.
Newsweek reached out to Union County Emergency Management for more information about the incident via email outside of regular working hours.
The railroad bridge connected Sioux City, Iowa, to North Sioux City in South Dakota.
Governor Kim Reynolds had in recent days issued disaster proclamations for 21 counties in northern Iowa in response to "catastrophic flooding." The state has experienced heavy rain, with some rivers reaching record-high levels.
In the hours before the bridge collapsed it was reported that the Big Sioux River had hit a major flood stage, meaning its water level had risen to a point where severe flooding was occurring. At around 3:30 p.m. it reached 41.21 feet, surpassing the major flood stage of 41 feet, according to the National Water Prediction Service, and two hours later it had reached 43.26 feet.
Reynolds said at a press conference on Saturday that there had been 250 water rescues that day. On Sunday, the governor said she had submitted a request for an expedited presidential major disaster declaration, which included asking for additional federal assistance for affected counties.
Flooding had forced some people to evacuate their homes on Saturday, as residents were told that the Rock River couldn't take any more rain. Local mayor Kevin Van Otterloo initially said a state helicopter was on its way, but this was called off when boats were able to reach stranded residents.
"We've had so much rain here," he said. "We had 4 inches last night in an hour and a half time. Our ground just cannot take anymore."
After weeks of rain, the start of next week is forecast to be hot in Iowa, with temperatures in many areas reaching more than 90 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday and Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Some areas will be under a heat advisory on Monday.
Later in the week, a cold front push and storms will bring temperatures back down into the 80s.
The intense storms come as various parts of the U.S. are still grappling with a week-long heat wave that has broken daily temperature records in several cities.
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