Heavy rains lead to widespread flood damage

Rising waters are disrupting life in Dent County and across the Midwest. A strong, slow-moving storm system dumped as much as a foot of localized rain over last weekend. Rural low-water crossings and roads adjacent to waterways are currently choked with debris. Hundreds of basements are filled with water. School districts throughout the county also cancelled classes Monday due to the dangers of transportation.

“We have over 600 miles of county roads and I’d estimate 80 to 90 percent are damaged,” said Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles during Monday’s commission meeting. “We are just now beginning to work our way through the situation. We are focused on getting roads passable and making sure schools can go back into session.”

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Some of the worst damage from the flood impacted Montauk State Park.

“The water was two feet higher here than what we recorded during the December 2015 flood,” says Superintendent Doug Rusk. “We are beginning the assessment phase of the damage now. Most of the campground and day use areas were under three to four feet of water. No one was injured or in serious danger. We evacuated the campgrounds before the flooding and took care of everyone who was stranded for the weekend.”