Noem: 1 dead from flooding; Southeast SD river peaks expected Monday

NORTH SIOUX CITY, South Dakota — As the residents of Dakota Dunes consider whether to voluntarily evacuate, the main wave of a flood event is creeping toward the tri-state area.

Gov. Kristi Noem and members of her cabinet addressed the looming threat before reporters and community members Sunday at the North Sioux City Fire Department.

Noem, who was on the backheel of a conservative conference in D.C. Saturday and a next-day appearance on NBC's Meet the Press, arrived to her home state to deliver stark news on eastern South Dakota's major flood event that the worst is yet to come for the area.

More: Gov. Noem issues emergency declaration after eastern SD floods

Near the top of the press conference, Noem said river level projections for some of South Dakota's main Missouri River tributaries have already surpassed their peak estimates.

Near Hawarden, Iowa, one river gage in the Big Sioux River passed its historic peak of 35.2 feet by 4.7 feet, Noem said, while by Akron, Iowa, another Big Sioux River gage broke past its 25.46 feet record set in 1985 by 1.8 feet.

With National Weather Service modeling projecting the Big Sioux, Missouri and Vermillion rivers to reach flood stage Monday and Tuesday, a significant and threatening bulk of water is making its way to the river-adjacent Dakota Dunes.

This has led Dakota Dunes officials to recommend voluntary evacuations for the town for the next 24 hours, according to a Sunday press release from Union County Emergency Management.

Noem said the Big Sioux River is predicted to crest around 7 p.m. Sunday, and the influx of water is expected to send a significant amount of water into the low-lying parts of southeastern South Dakota the next few days.

"It's coming our direction, and these numbers illustrate our situation that we're going to be facing for the next several days," Noem said.

However, Noem told an Argus Leader reporter she does not anticipate activating the National Guard to respond to the flood event. As for mandating evacuations for the area, that would occur it becomes dangerous, she says.

"At this point in time, that has not been requested," Noem said. "We have private contractors in the community that is better prepared, and we believe they can do the work quickly, so they stand ready.

One person has died so far as a result of the regional flooding, Noem said. She did not elaborate further on the incident, citing privacy concerns for the victim's family. She declined to answer another reporter's question about where the fatal event took place.

On Saturday, a elderly man died following a UTV crash near Lake Alvin, 5 miles east of Harrisburg, according to a press release from the South Dakota Department of Public Safety press release Sunday.

480th Avenue, a road leading to the lake's recreation area, was closed at the time and the east shoulder of the road had washed away.

More: Aging Lake Alvin spillway submerged by flood waters

An Argus Leader reporter observed increased water levels at the lake 5 p.m. Thursday. Lake Alvin's spillway, a structure used to control water levels, was completely submerged when the reporter arrived.

It is not clear if the two events are related.

The northbound and southbound lanes of Interstate 29 from exit 2 to exit 9 will be closed starting 6 p.m. Sunday, said Craig Smith, the South Dakota Department of Transportation division director of operations support.

This will allow time for emergency crews to build a levee by exit 4 to provide temporary protection from potential flooding.

Detour maps are available on https://www.SD511.org.

Correction: A previous version of this story misidentified Craig Smith. The story has been updated to reflect this change.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Noem: 1 dead from flooding; Southeast SD river peaks expected Monday