South Dakota
Canton, South Dakota residents call for accountability in aftermath of ‘thousand-year flood’
South Dakota residents have been rebuilding this summer after flash floods in June damaged homes, destroyed valuables and displaced families across the tri-state area.
Canton was one of the areas hit hardest in South Dakota, with some areas in the city receiving more than 18 inches of rain between June 20 and 22, almost exactly a decade after a similar flood washed over the community in 2014. Government officials called this a thousand-year flood, and the small community of roughly 3,000 fell within the less than .1% chance of such a rainfall event happening in any given year, according to the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls.
Yet, without municipal support, the Canton community rallied to stack sandbags against homes and dispose of ruined furniture in June. Now, nearly two months later, residents are still trying to repair damages and return to their normal routines. And they want to see administrative and structural changes in Canton, so that a situation like this doesn’t happen again, or at minimum, loss can be proactively mitigated.
Gregg Ulrickson, a landlord on North Cedar Street, said his apartments filled with 2 feet of water during the flood. All the drywall in the building needed to be replaced, along with the cabinets and furniture.
“It’s everything,” he said. “There’s just no end to it.”
More: Canton residents lambaste mayor, commissioner for lack of emergency flooding response plan
Ulrickson expects to re-paint everything by the end of the week and wants to begin renting out apartments again by Oct. 1, after residents were forced to leave their units. But outside his apartments, large pieces of the street are still missing because of the deluge of water.
“That I know of, there was no city resources to help,” Ulrickson said. “But they said 10 years ago, this would only happen once every 100 years […] Their infrastructure needs help, needs to be redone.”
Trintje Nordlie has lived on North Cedar Street for 36 years. She remembers the last flood of this size a decade ago.
“Why is it that every 10 years, we get a waterfall down this road?” Nordlie asked. “Canton is not really wanting a swimming pool, they want these streets fixed.”
The city of Canton broke ground on its outdoor swimming pool project in 2023, which has an estimated value of $6.8 million according to Construction Journal.
During the torrential rainfall in June, Nordlie and her husband were up all night trying to get the rainwater and sewage out of their basement. She said she had not received any guidance from the city.
“They just tell you, ‘Oh, you can do it on your own.’ Well, you can’t do it on your own,” Nordlie said, though she did not specify who told her.
Meanwhile, volunteer firefighters went home to home throughout the city in the immediate days after, using smaller diversion pumps to help residents push water out of their homes to street drains, with at least one instance taking three to five hours alone.
In a City Commission meeting on Aug. 5, 2024, more than a month later, the commissioners passed a motion to have an engineer look at North Cedar Street and determine the best way to avoid flooding during future natural disaster events.
Canton resident Miranda Oien said the city had helped residents by allowing damaged belongings to be brought to the high school parking lot to be disposed of by the city.
But even this initiative was originally started by Canton resident Joseph Kumlien, after he found out that the roads to the City of Canton rubble site were flooded with water.
Oien said the city neglected to update its natural disaster emergency plan, which hadn’t been updated since 2003. A public letter from Mayor Sandi Lundstrom on June 27 to residents confirmed this, with the understanding the city would be conducting an evaluation of areas where the city fell short and creating an action plan to improve the “community’s readiness for future events.”
“This isn’t the first time this kind of flood has happened,” Kumlien said. “It was really crazy, the amount of non-plan that they had in place for a big flood.”
On Holiday Drive, water rushed down the sloped street and into residents’ houses, while water from the small lake behind them simultaneously spilled over into their backyards.
Jason Steinmetz’s home on Holiday Drive filled with 3 feet of water. His two teenage children had to park their cars on the street during the flood, and both cars were totaled from water damage.
Almost two months later, his two teenagers are still living out of plastic boxes in their basement, where the sheetrock, carpeting and bathroom all needed to be replaced.
Steinmetz and his wife are both teachers, so they have been watching YouTube tutorials and restoring their house at night after work.
“We have three kids, so we didn’t have, you know, a ton of extra money to be throwing at redoing all that stuff,” he said. “Plus, we’re replacing cars.”
More: ‘Not much sleep:’ Residents share stories of flooding impact
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, offers resources and compensation for survivors of disasters after a major disaster declaration has been declared.
In a Aug. 15 press release, President Joe Biden signed off on a major disaster declaration for South Dakota after Gov. Kristi Noem formally requested one on July 26 for 25 counties in with severe flood damage, including Lincoln County, where Canton is the seat.
Several Canton residents, including Steinmetz, reported that FEMA stopped by to look at their homes in early August, but they haven’t heard anything more. As of Monday, FEMA inspectors were finally starting to conduct damage inspections in Canton homes, along with other surrounding areas affected.
“You didn’t really hear much, you know, from the mayor on what’s going on,” Steinmetz said as of Tuesday. “My wife had to get on the Facebook page and be like, ‘Hey, did anyone hear that FEMA was in town?’”
Amy Bergren lives on South Pleasant Street, where she and her neighbors have had multiple sewage backups in their homes in the past month and a half.
Residents of Pleasant Street cannot drink their tap water, which is often brown and smells like sewage, but they still have to wash their dishes with the water and bathe in it.
After the flooding in June, Bergren said her family had to use the bathroom outside for eight days. The city did not provide any portable toilets or other restroom options for them.
Canton was on wastewater restrictions for about six days following the flooding because of sewer backup and water system issues. And in the time since, the city has experienced at least five or six water main breaks and two or three water service disruptions.
As of Wednesday morning, Canton residents were alerted by the city they may notice a loss of water pressure due to water tower maintenance. Pressure was expected to resume when maintence was complete.
But Bergren said her neighbor’s dogs are getting sick from the sewage backups. Another neighbor has three kids, who are all starting their school year sleeping on air mattresses upstairs after their basement filled with sewage.
“It’s just been a nightmare, like one thing after another. We can’t leave our homes without wondering if we’re gonna come home to a mess,” Bergren said. “We’re tired of the city not taking accountability.”
More: Canton, South Dakota mayor promises change after residents criticize flood response
A construction project on Pleasant Street is intended to provide new sewer lines, storm sewers and water mains. Bergren said she was told by city commissioners that the project would be done by Oct. 13.
The sewage backup within the last week on South Pleasant Street was accidentally caused by the construction company working on the street.
However, Bergren said the construction company took accountability for the backup and paid for a cleaning company to clean the basements of those affected.
The city did not provide sanitation resources to the residents on Pleasant Street after the first few sewage backups. In a statement released on Aug. 9 to DakotaNewsNow, Lundstrom said these backups were caused by old infrastructure that couldn’t handle the large amounts of water entering its system after the flood.
“This has been an ongoing problem for years,” Lundstrom wrote.
Bergren said that during the flood, Canton needed a city administrator who would work directly with residents to handle financial and utility issues like this.
City commissioner Paul Garbers echoed this sentiment on June 24 at a City Commission meeting, where Canton residents expressed their anger at the lack of flood planning and resources.
“We need an administrator in this town to get the s–t done,” Garbers said, to applause from residents in the crowd at the meeting. “I am ready to be done (on the commission), because it sure ain’t worth the $2,000.”
Lundstrom responded to this critique via the June letter to the public posted to Canton’s website, where she wrote:
“Given the current natural disaster, it has become clear to me that our city requires the expertise of a qualified city administrator now instead of later […] I will collaborate with city officials, commissioners, staff and community leaders to create a proposal for hiring a dedicated professional city administrator.”
In following Canton City Commission meetings, residents have asked for a better city communication policy so that they don’t have to find all their information through social media
“I don’t know what else they want us to do,” Bergren said. “We’re financially drained. We’re exhausted, because we are constantly cleaning up a mess that we shouldn’t have to clean up.”
Lundstrom declined to comment and city officials have not responded after multiple attempts to reach out.
Iverson Ford now offers the 2027 Ford Expedition, giving families throughout Huron, Mitchell, Aberdeen, Watertown, Brookings, De Smet, Redfield, Miller, and surrounding South Dakota communities access to a full-size SUV with advanced technology, impressive capability, and spacious three-row comfort.
— Iverson Ford is proud to offer the 2027 Ford Expedition, providing drivers throughout Eastern South Dakota with Ford’s latest full-size SUV engineered for growing families, outdoor adventures, towing capability, and everyday versatility. The newest Expedition combines three-row comfort, advanced driver-assist technologies, modern connectivity, and confident performance for today’s active lifestyles.
Located at 2500 Dakota Avenue South in Huron, Iverson Ford serves customers from Huron, Mitchell, Aberdeen, Watertown, Brookings, De Smet, Redfield, Miller, Woonsocket, and surrounding South Dakota communities. As part of the Iverson Auto Group, the dealership offers an extensive selection of new Ford vehicles supported by experienced product specialists, financing professionals, and certified Ford service technicians.
The 2027 Ford Expedition continues Ford’s commitment to delivering capability and comfort in one versatile SUV. Designed for families who need generous passenger space and flexible cargo capacity, the Expedition is well suited for daily commuting, weekend road trips, towing recreational equipment, and exploring South Dakota’s parks, lakes, and outdoor destinations.
“Our team enjoys helping customers find an SUV that fits both their lifestyle and long-term transportation needs,” said a representative of Iverson Ford. “The 2027 Ford Expedition offers the capability, technology, and versatility that many South Dakota families value, whether they’re traveling across town or across the state.”
Demand for full-size SUVs continues to grow as drivers seek vehicles that balance passenger comfort with towing capability and advanced safety features. Iverson Ford helps customers compare Expedition trim levels, explore available technologies, and select the model that best matches their family’s needs while providing continued support through financing, certified maintenance, and genuine Ford parts.
Drivers interested in the 2027 Ford Expedition are encouraged to browse available inventory online or visit Iverson Ford in Huron to experience the SUV firsthand.
About Iverson Ford
Iverson Ford is a full-service Ford dealership located in Huron, South Dakota. Serving drivers throughout Huron, Mitchell, Aberdeen, Watertown, Brookings, De Smet, Redfield, Miller, and surrounding communities, the dealership offers new Ford vehicles, quality pre-owned vehicles, financing, certified Ford service, genuine OEM Ford parts, and customer-focused automotive solutions backed by more than 75 years of service through the Iverson Auto Group.
Contact Info:
Name: Iverson Ford
Email: Send Email
Organization: Iverson Ford
Address: 2500 Dakota Ave S, Huron, SD 57350
Phone: +16053526464
Website: https://www.iversonford.com/
Release ID: 89197473
In case of identifying any problems, concerns, or inaccuracies in the content shared in this press release, or if a press release needs to be taken down, we urge you to notify us immediately by contacting error@releasecontact.com (it is important to note that this email is the authorized channel for such matters, sending multiple emails to multiple addresses does not necessarily help expedite your request). Our dedicated team will be readily accessible to address your concerns and take swift action within 8 hours to rectify any issues identified or assist with the removal process. We are committed to delivering high-quality content and ensuring accuracy for our valued readers.
Under state law, any “interested person” can petition state boards to change administrative rules.
But South Dakota citizens and organizations don’t qualify as “persons” under that chapter of state law. The existence of that limitation surprised some members of the state Board of Elections on Wednesday during a meeting called for the express purpose of voting to advance or defeat a rules package the body spent two hours pondering last week.
The League of Women Voters leaned on what it believed to be its right to petition state board earlier this month when it offered the board a series of rule changes the group argued were necessary to standardize the administration of a new state law that requires first-time voter registrants to provide proof of U.S. citizenship.
The board dismissed the petition in a 5-2 vote on Wednesday after one of the board members told the group that the advocacy nonprofit lacks the legal standing to ask for the changes.
Last minute check of statutes calls petitioners’ status into question
The definition of a “person” able to petition a state board for a rule change only includes political subdivisions or agencies of the state, board member and retired Rapid City attorney Scott McGregor said.
McGregor did not attend the initial board meeting last week when the petition was presented, but he reviewed the matter over the weekend, he told South Dakota Searchlight after the meeting. With a 40-year career “making legal arguments based on statutory interpretations,” McGregor also reviewed relevant laws regarding the petition process.
McGregor said he wanted to see if “interested person” had a broad enough definition to include organizations such as the League of Women Voters.
“‘Person’ in various contexts has an awful lot of definitions,” McGregor said. “It depends on the section of the law you’re dealing with and the level of government you’re dealing with.”
McGregor spoke with the Secretary of State’s Office and its legal counsel earlier this week to confirm his interpretation. Deputy Secretary Tom Deadrick told McGregor that other agencies have accepted rule petitions from individuals.
“Even if other agencies have done it,” McGregor told Searchlight,” that doesn’t change the law.”
McGregor told board members he was “shocked” by the limitations.
“That may be an oversight, but that’s all that’s in there,” McGregor said during the meeting.
Board member Kent Alberty said he was “disappointed” that the law’s restrictions on petitioners wasn’t shared with board members earlier. Alberty, during last week’s meeting, said that he saw a need for at least some standardization in procedures in the administration of the citizenship requirement.
Alberty voted against the dismissal on Wednesday, as did Dewey County Auditor Jamalia Franzen.
McGregor told South Dakota Searchlight that the law should be reviewed legislatively.
“There is a certain unfairness to it,” McGregor said.
Acceptable documents for proving one’s citizenship under the new law in question on Wednesday include a birth certificate, passport, driver’s license, non-driver’s identification card or tribal identification card, or “any other type of acceptable documentation” under federal law. Photocopies of most of those documents are acceptable, but registrants using state- or tribally issued identification cards must have the physical cards with them.
If a voter does not provide necessary documentation, they are registered as federal-only voters and cannot participate in local or state elections.
The League of Women Voters proposals included:
- Allowing photocopies of identification cards, such as tribal IDs and driver’s licenses, to be used as proof of citizenship.
- Recognizing tribal identification cards from any federally recognized tribe, rather than just the nine tribes in South Dakota.
- Allowing voters designated as federal-only an opportunity to cast provisional ballots for local elections while appealing their eligibility.
- Adding specific language to the state’s voter registration form to explain that not offering a physical South Dakota address would cause them to be designated as federal-only voters.
- Adding language to notifications confirming a voter’s registration clearly saying if the registrant is a federal-only voter, as well as language explaining how to remedy the situation.
South Dakota Secretary of State Monae Johnson was ill during last week’s board meeting, at which the group took testimony from supporters of each rule. No one from her office was on hand to rebut the supporters, but her staff did file written responses in opposition.
On Wednesday, Johnson told the board that the new law, as written, does not allow photocopies of driver’s licenses, only the original card. She added that while no formal appeal process exists for voters registered as federal-only, they can remedy their status by resubmitting their registration with proper documentation.
“The League of Women Voters and other concerned organizations could look at amending the current law in the 2027 legislative session, if that is their wish,” Johnson said.
Johnson will not be seeking re-election for secretary of state in November. She lost the Republican nomination at last month’s state party convention to state Rep. Heather Baxter, who supported the bill that created the new law during the legislative session and will oversee its administration if elected. Baxter will face Democratic nominee Terrence Davis in the general election.
Baxter submitted public comment ahead of Wednesday’s meeting and compared the proposed changes to presenting a photocopy of identification to get through security at the airport or purchase alcohol. The state Department of Public Safety does not accept photocopies of identification documents, Baxter said.
“So why allow the League to make such changes to what law already clearly states as well as other state departments?!” Baxter wrote.
Amy Scott-Stoltz, president of the League of Women Voters of South Dakota, said the organization is “disappointed” in the board’s decision and “reviewing our options” regarding advancing its proposals and challenging the board’s dismissal.
The group’s petition was meant to make sure the new law is “uniformly implemented across the state and that voters and county auditors alike would have clear guidance about their obligations under the law in advance of the November election,” Scott-Stoltz said.
“We intend to continue our work in South Dakota to ensure that every American citizen can access the ballot box,” Scott-Stoltz said.
— This story was originally published on southdakotasearchlight.com.
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 8, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from July 8 drawing
12-29-37-43-55, Powerball: 18, Power Play: 4
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from July 8 drawing
17-26-31-32-37, Star Ball: 01, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Dakota Cash numbers from July 8 drawing
07-11-18-31-33
Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 8 drawing
16-18-43-48-50, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
- Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
- Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.
When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.
-
Politics9 minutes ago
Crews Drape Tarp Over White House in Latest Trump Restoration
-
Health24 minutes agoGLP-1 Users’ Guide to Protein Snacks: Here’s What a Dietitian Actually Recommends
-
Lifestyle39 minutes ago‘The Invite’ is a marriage comedy with sex and heart
-
Technology51 minutes agoI spent a week using the Trump phone — it sucks
-
World54 minutes agoWith US unleashing attacks, Iranian official threatens that the Islamic Republic will deliver a ‘hard slap’
-
Politics59 minutes agoWATCH: Trump’s Energy chief reveals what escalating Iran tensions could mean for gas prices
-
Health1 hour agoCoffee may have powerful effect on liver health, major study suggests
-
Sports1 hour agoOba Femi vs Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam is a ‘generational matchup,’ WWE legend JBL says
