The Koochiching County Sheriff’s Office is expecting water levels to rise on Rainy Lake, especially with downpours in northern Minnesota heading toward the county and more rain in the forecast.
The Sheriff’s Office is not panicking yet, but “it’s a day-by-day thing,” Undersheriff Brian Jesperson told the Koochiching County Board.
Commissioners met with the undersheriff Tuesday to ensure that the county is prepared for flooding ahead of time, avoiding a repeat of the 2002 flood, when the Sheriff’s Office wasn’t prepared in time for the quickly rising water and subsequent flooding.
As of Monday, the Sheriff’s Office has 27,000 sandbags on hand and two piles of sand ready to be used to fill the bags, according to Jesperson.
Sand is located at the county storage building near the water tower in International Falls and a pile is also located at City Beach in Ranier.
If needed, the Sheriff’s Office plans to have a third sand pile located at Tilson Landing.
Residents must fill their own sandbags now, but if flooding becomes worse, the Sheriff’s Office is prepared to call for volunteers, Jesperson said. He noted that elderly people will need help filling sandbags.
Residents can get sand bags from the Sheriff’s Office to use to protect homes, but not to secure docks, Jesperson said. Residents should use barrels and other heavy items to secure their docks, he said.
Jesperson asks residents to clean and dry the sand bags before returning them to the Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office is also cautioning residents from traveling on the lake at night. Flooding of shoreline areas has washed logs, parts of docks and other items into the lake, Jesperson said.