State Of Emergency Declared in Duluth, Superior, Hermantown [UPDATED]

Duluth UPDATE:

For Immediate Release June 20, 2012

Update from Officials on Flooding in Duluth

[Duluth, MN] – The City of Duluth and its local partners are working to monitor and coordinate efforts. Mayor Don Ness has declared a State of Emergency for the City of Duluth.

As of 1:00 pm, Central Time, the following MN DOT roads are closed. Information is updated by calling 511 or going to http://www.dot.state.mn.us/d1/ :

London Road at 43rd Street

I 35 between Carlton and Mahtowa

I 35 from Central Ave to 26th Ave East/London Road

Hwy 2 from I 35 to Boundary Ave (downbound only) in Proctor, right 2 lanes are closed

Hwy 2 from the Iron Horse Bar and Grill to the golf course

Hwy 23 South of Duluth

Hwy 23 in Fond du Lac

Hwy 33 in Cloquet

Hwy 33 at milepost 9 near Independence

Hwy 53 near Miller Hill Mall in Duluth

Hwy 61 near Silver Creek Tunnel

Hwy 61 at Knife River

Hwy 200 between Hwy 2 and Hwy 65

Hwy 210 completely closed through Jay Cooke State Park

Hwy 73 closed at four locations – reference posts 31.5, 46.3, 47.4, and 27.4 (southbound lane)

Hwy 65 from reference posts 107 to 112.6, closed under two feet of water

Hwy 2 between 220.7 through 232.0 completely closed

Hwy 200 between Hwy 2 and 65

The following streets in the West side of Duluth are closed:

Superior St at 34th Ave West to 40th Ave West

Chambersburg Street to Piedmont Ave

Skyline Drive west of Spirit Mountain

Skyline Drive from 40th Ave West to Highland Street

Skyline Drive at 40th Ave West to 26th Ave West

Cody Street

38th Ave West and West 5th Street, bridge washed out

Most gravel roads are impassable

East side of Duluth:

Superior Street at 8th Ave E

Pleasant View

Airpark Drive

Skyline Drive – Kent Rd to Chester Park Drive

8th Ave East

1st Ave East

Kenwood Ave to Skyline Parkway

South and middle roads off Howard Gnesen

9th Street bridge

St. Marie St. closed

West Arrowhead Rd off of Woodland Ave

13th Ave East off of 9th Street

Dodge Street

MN Power reports approximately 300 households are out of power. Crews are working to safely restore power. The Miller Hill Mall area is currently out of power.

The public is advised to take these precautionary steps:

Residents with propane tanks are advised to shut off tank valves.

The public is advised to call 211 for non-emergency needs or for information, the toll free number is 800-543-7709. 211 is a 24 hour service line.

Residents who cannot access their homes are advised to safely make their way to the First United Methodist Church (aka Copper Top Church), 230 E Skyline Parkway.

The public should keep in mind that standing water is likely not sanitary water and people should avoid coming into contact with overflow areas.

Motorists should use caution, as roads are deteriorated and impassable. Please do not drive around barricades. Roads may still be unstable after the rain subsides.

Superior:

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 20, 2012

Contact: Mayor Bruce C. Hagen ~ 715.395.7212

Public Works Director, Jeff Goetzman - 715.395.7334

Mayor Bruce Hagen declares a State of Emergency, due to major flooding and road closures, effective immediately in the City of Superior, until further notice.

Travel is not recommended, but if you have to travel, please use extreme caution. Driving through moving or standing water on roadways is strongly discouraged to avoid contact with invisible and dangerous road conditions.

Major thoroughfares currently open in the city include Highway 53 / E. 2nd Street, U.S. 2 / Belknap Street, Tower Avenue. Additional precipitation and rising water levels may well require additional road closures throughout the day and updates will be provided and made available through the city and county websites.

www.ci.superior.wi.us

www.douglascountywi.org

Hagen emphasized the critical nature of this disaster in urging the public to travel with caution and only if necessary. “What we have before us is an unprecedented event over many decades. Every resource and staff is being fully engaged. All City departments will be working around the clock in keeping roads open, assisting the public and begin emergency repairs as soon as possible”.

Mayor Hagen added that the City and County will pull together in this recovery. “From neighbor to neighbor and block to block we will pull together in full recovery”.

Current road closure in the City of Superior:

E 2nd St/ US2/US53 near Barkers Island. Passable 1 lane each direction.

E 2nd St/ US2/US53 at the Nemadji River. Passable, 2 lanes in each direction.

N 21st St near Catlin Ave is closed.

N 28th St between Hill Ave and Catlin Ave is closed.

Hill Ave between Belknap St and N 21st St is closed.

6th Ave E between E 5th St and E 7th St is closed.

E 5th at 7th Ave E is closed.

Tower Ave/STH 35 near the fairgrounds. Passable, 1 lane in each direction.

Duluth:

From Don Ness:

"Weather Service has reported more than 9" of rain in the Denfeld neighborhood in the past 24 hours - officially at the airport (9:30am) was 5.4". To put that in context, the Weather Service records indicate the previous record for a 72 hour period was 8" in 1909.

We remain in a State of Emergency. Damage to infrastructure is significant and could be unsafe. We are evacuating the Fond du Lac n...eighborhood and several other homes closest to the St Louis River. Minnesota Power has opened the St Louis River dam, even doing so it is likely that the river will top the dam.

We are evaluating potential for washouts and sink holes in our streets. Again, please limit all driving except for emergencies. A street might appear fine on the surface, but the road bed below may be washed out.

Governor Dayton, Senator Klobuchar, and Senator Franken have all called to pledge their support to our community. We will rely on them heavily as we clean up and repair the damage that has been done.

Please use caution and be safe out there! That has been and continues to be our first priority throughout this disaster."

Hermantown:

Wayne Boucher, Mayor of the City of Hermantown had declared a state of emergency in the City of Hermantown.

City offices have closed as of 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 20, 2012. Due to massive flooding, the City of Hermantown is advising against all travel. Please stay safe and stay home if at all possible.

Numerous City and County roads in Hermantown are flooded, making travel difficult. The City has some damage on some city streets, including, but may not be limited to Okerstrom Road.