Flood in South Dakota, March 20 to 30, 2009

Rapid snowmelt and ice jamming caused the Elm River near Westport to rise above flood stage on March 20th. The Elm River reached an all time record level of 22.69 feet on March 25th almost 9 feet above flood stage. The previous record was 22.11 feet set on Apri1 10th, 1969. The flood stage for the Elm River at Westport is 14 feet. The city of Westport was evacuated with the flood waters causing damage to many homes and roads in and around Westport. Also, many other roads and agricultural and pastureland along the river were flooded. The Elm River slowly receded and fell below flood stage on March 30th.

The flood waters from the Elm River flowed south and into the northern portion of Moccasin Creek. Subsequently, the Moccasin Creek rose as the water flowed south into the city of Aberdeen. Flooding became a concern for Aberdeen and for areas along the creek north of Aberdeen. The Governor signed an emergency declaration which allowed the state to help with flood response efforts, including sending 50,000 sandbags to the area. Also, the National Guard was activated to move a variety of heavy equipment. Some sandbagging and a falling Elm River kept the Moccasin Creek from causing any significant flooding in and north of Aberdeen. Although, some township and county roads were flooded from the creek.