Brookings area hit with flash floods after nearly nine inches of rain fall

Garrett Ammesmaki | Argus Leader

At least two cars were abandoned, electricity was interrupted and numerous basements flooded in the Brookings area Thursday after steady rainfall caused flash flooding throughout the area.

Brookings County was soaked with two to nine inches of rain from the morning and into the early afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. A majority of the rain splattered eastern Brookings County, with the town of Aurora receiving 8.87 inches.

That's nearly three times the average for the month of July in a single day, said Mike Gillispie, NWS Hydrologist. On average, Brookings and the surrounding area sees only 3.25 inches of rain throughout July.

Light showers have a chance to hit Brookings on Sunday night through Monday morning as well, Gillispie said, but they don't expect to see any more flooding over the weekend.

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Over 400 homes were without power due to flooding between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m., according to Steve Meyer, general manager at Brookings Municipal Utilities.

Flood damage ranged from damp carpets to knee-deep water. Resident Amy Christie's basement saw over three feet of water at one point, while her neighbors to the east and west remained virtually unscathed. Christie lives on the lowest part of Third Street.

"We've had issues with water before, but not like this," Christie said. "There was so much water in the yard it busted open the backdoor completely. It was like the floodgates were opened."

Highway 14 to the east and country roads to the north of it were completely flooded over at points, said Bob Hill, Brookings County emergency manager. And though some areas are prone to flooding, the amount of flash flooding seen Thursday is relatively rare to the area.

"I haven't heard about flash floods here in the last 25 years," Hill said.