Morgan and Malcom Speichinger still live in a house that was damaged in a flood one year ago, because they have no better option.
“If we could afford to move, we would,” Morgan said.
Three days of rain last June 20-22 in southeast South Dakota surpassed 17 inches in some locations. Local and state authorities implemented a half-century-old diversion plan to handle record-high water that was flowing down the Big Sioux River toward Sioux City. They built a temporary levee across Interstate 29 that tied in with permanent levees to divert water into McCook Lake.
The water was supposed to flow through the lake and drain toward the nearby Missouri River. Instead, on the night of June 23, it overwhelmed the lake and inundated many of the homes around it. Many residents said the flood surge came suddenly, after they’d received little to no warning.
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“That’s what we’re preparing for,” [Bimbo #2] Noem said. “If we don’t, then that’s wonderful that they don’t have an impact, but they could see water flowing into McCook Lake.”
After the press conference, [Bimbo #2] Noem flew to a political fundraiser in Tennessee, which is where she was when the flood surge hit McCook Lake and sent people fleeing. During the aftermath, [Bimbo #2] Noem refused to deploy the National Guard to help clean up the area, after she’d sent Guard troops multiple times to help Texas secure its border with Mexico.
Alternet: ‘We don’t exist’: Flood victims ‘abandoned’ after Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem didn’t tell them to evacuate
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