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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No one works nights at the zoo?
Some people need to know their facts before bad mouthing another city. What research have u done for u to criticize the residents of Duluth and their city? Apparently NONE!!!!!!!!!!!! U only had half of your statement correct. learn your facts before posting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I feel bad for the animals too.
Yah, anyone heard of HAARP?
Wish we could transfer all that water to Colorado to fight the wildfires...
Any of you people that weren't here when this happened can shut up about the zoo animals. I've lived here my whole life and never seen anything like this. If you don't live here, you know nothing about our community either, so shut it. And whoever said there's no rivers around here, uh... clearly you're ignorant. There's water everywhere here! And we just got dumped on, and you're scolding people about the zoo? Way to push your own self-centered agendas.
I have worked with animals all my lfe and I assure you as a little girl visiting the Superior Zoo I remember the people and
animals being wonderful. And I assure you their staff there are heartbroken. If you have ever handled the daily feeding
and care of an animal then you now how devastating it is to lose them wild or tame. You mourn briefly and continue
on working and caring for those you can. but, my prayers are with you all and I know you will work to try to change what you can to prevent it again. As far as Duluth and water, Minnisota is the state of a thousand lakes...Duhh we just never expected or have seen Lake superior rise this fast.
Thank you to those offering prayers and support. We Northlanders appreciate it. More than you know.
When did this happen exactly?
I i am not only praying for people and animals but I encourage standards be set that this will not happen in Duluth or other locations. I hope the remaining animals at this zoo will be moved to a higher ground or to zoos that are on higher ground. The zoo needs to be relocated in Duluth so it doesnt happen again. I suggest that the current zoo be turned into a park. I also hope that other zoos in the our nation will make arrangements to prevent such a horrible experience. The animals were defenseless and trapped in their enclosures. It is very sad and in the future preventable.
sorry, but GOD will continue to punishing the western world especially the US for the evils they are carrying out in africa. the US destroyed Lybia, Somalia and eqypt. more is coming.
Obviously, more is coming, but no "god" has anything to do with it. Open a real book and learn about meteorology and climate modeling.
Haha, so you're saying God repayed us for destroying three countries by drowning eight animals? At this rate I'd say we should destroy all of Africa and the Middle East and maybe he pays us back by killing a school of fish. Seriously, I hope you think this is how the world operates, it just goes to show that your way of thinking is completely wrong.
Crawl back into your cave. What a horrific mindset and belief system you have. You're a primitive ape!
god is not punishing our country for bad politics...grow up, although we do have some bad polit itians, lol...not to mentiion minnesota has 10000 lakes in it, which can lead to some pretty subastantial rainfall...thoughts and prayers to duluth.
This is so unfortunate. No one really bothers about the animal lost and killed in floods. Our negligence is being paid by them as well. We pray for the sufferers.
GOD is NOT punishing. It's called the free will of mother nature and humans. Stop blaming God. He is love.
you should remember that love means responsibility, love requires that you want what is the best for loving even if it has to deal with suffer
God is not punishig us, he is merely distancing himself from us, without his presence we lose his protection and nature runs wild.
So sorry for the animals and the caretakers who are undoubtedly heart broken. Zoo barnyard animals have always brought joy to me and my daughters. May they rest in peace.
the animals dont have souls!!!
What does your brilliant scientific Congress woman Michelle Bachmann have to say about global climate change now?