Willmar Deals With Flood Cleanup

WILLMAR (AP) - The water is receding in a southcentral Minnesota city where a deluge of fast-falling rain swamped the community and turned homes into waterfront properties.

Willmar administrator Larry Kruse said Friday the city received 9.9 inches of rain in a 12-hour period, making the storm a rare 1-in-1,000-year meteorological rain event.

Kruse says residents are dealing with flooded and collapsed basements. Some businesses in Willmar were also flooded, including the Super 8 motel where guests were evacuated Thursday as rising water filled the first floor.

Public works officials released diluted sewage into a ditch system when the waste treatment plant became overwhelmed. A voluntary request to limit water use was lifted on Friday.

Kruse says low-lying neighborhoods and streets are still flooded. He says the Red Cross will distribute cleanup kits to residents Friday at the Church of the Nazarene.