Rice County flood damages estimated at $2.5 million for public infrastructure alone

Two hundred homes and seven businesses in Rice County were damaged in last week's historic flood, according to preliminary estimates as of July 1 from the county assessor.

After the recent floods struck the area, Gov. Tim Walz and President Joe Biden declared emergencies at their respective levels of government.

Rice County Communications Coordinator Suzy Rook said the worst of the damage falls under two categories: roads and bridges, as well as parks and recreation.

"Morristown, Cannon Lake/Warsaw (and) Faribault received more damage than other areas of the county," she wrote in an email July 2. "… Preliminary estimate is $2.5 million in damages to public infrastructure in Rice County. This amount will change as the water goes down and contractors/engineers can obtain better assessments."

The presidential disaster declaration also opens avenues to secure funding from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, noted Rook.

"This allows local governments to apply for federal funding to assist with the recovery from the disaster," she said. "Any funding received helps pay for items that include damage to public infrastructure, debris removal and emergency protective measures. FEMA will begin preliminary damage assessments soon to determine if individual assistance will be granted to property owners. This is separate from the assistance available to local governments."

On average, Faribault receives a cumulative rainfall total of 17.7 inches by July 5 each year, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. In June 2024 alone, Faribault received 17.64 inches of rainfall.

As of July 5, the city has seen a cumulative total of 33.19 inches of rainfall this year, making 2024 Faribault's wettest year-to-date on record.

Some area river gauges indicated they reached the highest levels on record as well, but have since gone down some. As of July 5, Morristown's gauge in the Cannon River is still above it's previous all-time high.

Local river levels are viewable at LINKTR.EE/FaribaultAreaRiverLevels .