People with packed trucks lined up at a debris collection site in Waterville, awaiting a turn to dump the flood-soaked remains of their homes.
Le Sueur County workers and volunteers said they’ve unloaded an average of 100 loads each Wednesday and Saturday for the past couple of weeks.
The truckload Tom Czech was hauling represented the total loss of his home.
“At one point, the water was chest high” inside the house, Czech said.
“We put a lot of hard work into it, and if you were to come and look at it right now, it’s pretty soul-crushing.”
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Homes closer to Lake Tetonka, one of two lakes sandwiching the city, were completely inaccessible by car not too long ago. The smell and crunch of dried algae lining the streets serve as a lingering reminder of the rushing water.
The city has tallied at least 112 damaged homes in the small southern Minnesota town, Mayor Bill Conlin said on Wednesday.
“And it doesn’t include homes that we didn’t make contact with the homeowners,” Conlin added.
The streets near City Hall were quieter without the constant hum of pumping water that was present in late June and early July.
Conlin said the cost of the damage to city infrastructure alone was $2.5 million as of Wednesday and climbing.
“The infrastructure down there really got beat up,” he said.
“When you have all that silt coming through in that water, it literally fills all the street drains, and they won’t even take water anymore. They’re literally filled to the top with silt.”
The mayor said FEMA money has been approved to cover the damage to public infrastructure, and he expects similar reassurance for homeowners should be coming in about a month.
“In about 30 days, they should have all their numbers in, and then the approvals will start. People will start getting answers to just what FEMA will cover,” he explained. “Waiting for that information is tough.”
The debris removal site in town is open on Wednesdays from noon to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The best place for residents and homeowners to check for updates on that site and ongoing flood mitigation and the anticipated flood relief money is the Le Sueur County Emergency Management website.