Mayor signs emergency declaration, activates operations center as flooding wreaks havoc

City runs out of waste water storage, receiving dozens of calls about sewer backups

A flooded street in Sioux Falls. (City of Sioux Falls/Facebook)

Floods across the Sioux Falls area has forced the city to take drastic measures as local and state officials prepare for water levels to reach high level marks.

Mayor Paul TenHaken announced at a Saturday morning press conference that he had signed an emergency declaration in response to flood waters that are threatening critical infrastructure within the city. Additionally, the city has activated an emergency operations center (EOC). That allows city officials to better coordinate community response in situations of crisis.

“Standing up an EOC allows us to become a one team effort,” TenHaken said, noting that state and local officials from both Lincoln and Minnehaha counties were involved in the operation. “This has been a challenging and unpredictable weather event… When the ground gets this saturated, situations change really quickly.”

RELATED: Water levels in flood-gripped parts of South Dakota to rise through weekend