Flash flooding in Duluth, Minnesota, has forced residents to evacuate, left homes underwater, destroyed roads and even led to the drownings of at least eight animals at a zoo.
Between 5 and 9 inches of rain fell between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, sending what looked like raging rivers through Duluth's streets, according to the National Weather Service. Another 2 or 3 inches of rain was still likely to fall.
Duluth residents, who are more used to having snow dumped on them rather than flash floods, said the damage was worse than anything they had ever seen.
"This flooding has been crazy. We have not experienced anything like this in our community," iReporter Kayla Keigley, who said she works as a health care preparedness coordinator, told CNN. "Roads are destroyed. Neighborhoods are underwater. I am in shock and I work in the field of preparedness - this is something I work to 'deal with' daily. Our community is in disbelief."
Workers at the Lake Superior Zoo were in disbelief, too, when they learned at least eight animals drowned there. The toll might still rise, because the workers hadn't yet been able to check all enclosures.
"Sadly the zoo experienced the loss of several animals, among them many of the barnyard residents," Susan Wolniakowski, the zoo's director of guest services, said in a news release. "Due to flooding, the zoo’s polar bear Berlin was able to exit her exhibit. She was darted by the zoo’s vet and is safe in quarantine. At no time did any dangerous animal leave the perimeter fence."
The zoo said the staff still was assessing the situation.
“Obviously, our entire staff is devastated,” the zoo’s director of animal management, Peter Pruett, said.
With more rain still coming down this afternoon, the mayor, the weather service and local emergency management officials warned residents to be careful and to stay off the roads. Several people have had to be rescued from their cars because of either flooding or because they had fallen into sinkholes, the weather service reported.
Richard Thomas sent iReport a photo of this car that drove into a sinkhole when it was flooded.
"We continue to emphasize that this is an extremely dangerous and life threatening situation for all areas in Duluth and along the north shore of Lake Superior," the National Weather Service said.
Keigley told CNN that in the area of Duluth where she lives, the "water has destroyed city streets, manhole covers are blown, (and) storm water is overflowing into the streets."
"Debris is washing down the roads, cars are underwater in some places, (and there are) sinkholes in neighborhoods," she said.
Keigley said that nearby rivers were overflowing and surging through the neighborhood.
"This is absolutely crazy and insane," Keigley said. "This is nothing like normal Duluth weather."
– CNN's Kara Devlin and Dave Hennen contributed to this report.
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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sigh...pic reminds me of a river back home...
Daddy, I want an Oompa Loompa! I want one right NOW!
You should put up a pic of the seal that escaped the road and was found safe in the middle of a nearby road.
why should we?
I know several families from the area and they have major damage. To the person commenting in Willy Wonka comments hope it never happens to you or your family.
Actually, to those being real jerks, I think it SHOULD happen to them. Like the Bible said, "suffer the death of thy neighbor", and the point is that if you can empathize and feel on the part of those enduring the happenstance, then you'll know what it's like to live it. But if people can't do that then they may as well live it.
But the insensitivity and meanness of some around here... how far we've fallen as a civilized nation... it really is sad.
...i guess y'all are taken aback when momma said that life is like ahh box of chocolates...
@timelord – because wishing the wrath of 'god' on people is so much more civilized than what they are doing.
THERE HAD BETTER BE SOME SERIOUS CRIMINAL CHARGES TO THE INCOMPETENT FOOLS WHO DID NOT REMOVE THE ANIMALS TO SAFER GROUND!! DISGUSTING!!!
HEY YOU WHOSE CAPS LOCK KEY DOES NOT WORK,
WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY?
WITH MAYBE A FEW HOURS' WARNING AT BEST, WITH LIMITED FUNDS, AND OTHER ISSUES...
TRY KNOWING EVEN AN IOTA OF THEIR SITUATION BEFORE BLINDLY BADMOUTHING THEM... TALK ABOUT "FOOLS" INDEED...
AND TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK KEY FOR CRYING OUT LOUD.
Shhhh... No need to scream.
We are crippled here in Duluth. This was a flash flood (it came without warning). Our hearts are breaking for the zoo animals. And no one is sadder than the staff at the Lake Superior Zoo. Please show some compassion.
No place to move them or they would of. There are many tragic stories in the Duluth MN area at the moment. They do not need "arm chair quarterbacks" criticizing them, but you should be keeping them in your thoughts and prayers at this time. These were flash floods, nothing could be done, they are doing their best. I have heard of no human loss of life at this time-which is a blessing!
It's called a flash flood. That means it couldn't be predicted. Educate yourself and stop grand standing.
It was a FLASH FLOOD... do you know what a flash flood is? Rapid, unexpected flooding... there was no warning that this would happen.
What a civilized, mature post on your part...
not.
more flooding no doubt perpetrated by our own government and military operations, don't fool yourself, we have the technology and they are using it on us
god is punishing your country because your bad policies....suffer
There is why zoos should not exist and animals shouldn't ever been on display... Disgusting!
No kidding, at least when a river floods in the wilds of Africa no animals ever die. In fact, I'm pretty sure that the only time I've ever read about animals dying is when they're in zoos. We should just let them be released into the wilds so that they have no possibility of dying. Especially all those animals that would be extinct if not for zoos. They should be released because they wouldn't be dead that way.
I'm sorry to hear that zoo animals were lost in the flood. Very sad indeed. And I'm even more sorry that some people posting here are ok sounding off so insensitively. But I believe what goes around comes around, so best of luck to them when they need help.
I understand why animals are in zoos for the majority of them it is better then there natural habitiats. Due to humans and when i say humans i mean all of us they are no longer safe in there natural habitats. However the zoo should have done something to protect them. A farmer would not leave his animals on there own. No he would be out there checking on them all night to make sure they are ok and calling everyone he knows to help him move them if they were not.
There was no time to "check on them all night" people are really not understanding of a "Flash Flood"... within 3 hours of it starting to rain, the place was starting to flood. the waterway going through there is normally a small creek, a couple feet deep at best.... now push the power of the mississippi river through that little creek in a short time, and see about saving those animals. some of the creeks had so much water coming through them, they were moving boulders the size of cars, like they were grains of sand.
People calm down. Northern MN got 5-9 inches of rain during the last storm and it was a nasty one. NO ONE was prepared for that amount of rain. There's no where for the water to go when the ground is completely saturated. We had nasty storms in Minneapolis too with 80 mph winds. It's nature. Weather happens and you can't control it. We have to deal with it and move on.
To those who think the zoo should have done more to prevent the animals from drowning – these were FLASH floods. That means that they had little to no warning that the flood was coming. I'm very sure they did and are still doing all they can to aid the animals in their care.
I've BEEN through two floods, several tornados, and a hurricane. I've had my house burn down, too. I've started over many times...I've got a sense of humor. Sometimes that's all you have left. Don't be so judgmental of me, my friends...and whatever you have wished upon me has already happpened to me...but it will comeback to haunt YOU.
I never wish bad on anyone, but I would say, if what you say is true regarding your misfortune, you may want to look at your "sense of humor" and Karma. Not funny. I like a good joke, but not at a time like this.
Time to face the facts of global warming. This is only the beginning.
Yet more proof that climate change is not occurring!