WABASHA, Minn. (KTTC) – Many Minnesota communities living close to the Mississippi River faced flood warnings as water levels rose over the weekend. The city of Wabasha is one of the most significantly impacted areas with many streets and parks under water.

“We had a flood here last year, and it was our fourth highest crest in history,” City of Wabasha Emergency Management Director Riley Castello said. “This one is about two feet shy of that.”

According to Castello, water levels at the river peaked on Monday; on Tuesday afternoon, it sat at 15-feet.

“We’ve had to close down five of our major parks and a couple of streets in town.” Castello said.

Due to the severe weather and flooding, both the city and Wabasha County declared a local state of emergency, being one of the 22 counties approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for a federal disaster declaration.

“It’s frustrating that we can’t just get in moderation. We just came out of a drought. Last year was incredibly dry and the river level was low comparatively. This year, we just can’t stop getting the rain. And now we have water standing in fields.”

According to the National Eagle Center, the severe weather did not significantly impact the amount of visitors it received. “Overall, I don’t think the number of visitors have been impacted by the weather,” Director of Marketing and Communications Ed Hahn said. “ Maybe a little bit when it rains, you get fewer people going out.”

Castello shared there are currently many uncertainties with how the flood waters will be cleared and the restoration process will undergo. He said property damage estimates cannot be determined until water levels go down.

“We gasped when we saw the flooding,” said Maria Gorde, who was in Wabasha on Tuesday for a visit. “We had seen it online, but seeing it in person was like, ‘Wow.’”

Find stories like this and more, in our apps.

Copyright 2024 KTTC. All rights reserved.

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – A probation officer was arrested on seven counts of embezzlement.

Lacosta Lee is accused of receiving court-ordered fines and fees from those on probation and using them for her personal use.

She is a contracted probation officer for Court Programs, Inc.

Lee was served with a $7,558.50 demand letter at the time of her arrest.

She faces up to $5,000 in fines and 20 years per count if convicted.

Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please click here to report it and include the headline of the story in your email.

Copyright 2024 WLBT. All rights reserved.

The river parts of Riverfest near downtown La Crosse won’t be happening this year. Well, there’s just one part, really.

The River City Water Ski Team had to cancel its part of the show, because the Mississippi River is too high and will actually crest at 15 feet Wednesday, the opening day of Riverfest.

Past events on the river haven’t happened in a few years, including flyboarding — where water jets on your feet simulate floating — and pole vaulting off a barge in the Mississippi.

“We actually have trouble finding a barge that we can rent, basically that business has taken off exponentially,” Riverfest board member Brad Pitel said. “So, when the barges are being used, we don’t have that opportunity.”

Cancelling events hasn’t happened often, and sometimes they’re not even river related. In 2018, the July 4 fireworks had to happen on July 5.

“There was a massive storm that blew through with like 60-70 mph winds right through La Crosse,” Pitel said.

Riverfest opens at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Riverside Park and runs through Saturday night, with multiple big musical acts.

Josh Ross, Drake Milligan and Blue Collar 40 kick things off. The finale Saturday night is Country Line Drive. Check the full schedule of events here.