Watch: Flooded Blue Earth River sweeps away building at Rapidan Dam in Minnesota
Randy Hanson was recording when trees and a building were swept downstream as rushing water flowed around the dam near the city of Mankato.
Watch: Swollen Minnesota river pulls building off shore and sends it downriver
A man captures the exact moment this swollen Minnesota river in Rapidan pulls a building into the rapids. The building then rushes down river at the end.
MANKATO, Minn. – A Minnesota river that flowed over its banks after recent heavy rain pulled a building into the rushing water Monday and sent it over a dam.
Randy Hanson joined other shocked spectators at the Rapidan Dam to witness a sight he had never seen before. The Blue Earth River rushed around and over the dam, after 8 to 18 inches of rain fell over the weekend.
The river had already claimed a power substation earlier in the day. That plunged about 600 customers around the hydroelectric dam into darkness.
![This photo shows a substation that was washed away by flooding at the Rapidan Dam in Minnesota.]()
Image 1 of 3This photo shows a substation that was washed away by flooding at the Rapidan Dam in Minnesota. (XcelEnergyMN/X)
![This photo shows the Rapidan Dam in danger of failing after flooding in Minnesota.]()
Image 2 of 3This photo shows the Rapidan Dam in danger of failing after flooding in Minnesota. (XcelEnergyMN/X)
![This photo shows the Rapidan Dam in danger of failing after flooding in Minnesota.]()
Image 3 of 3This photo shows the Rapidan Dam in danger of failing after flooding in Minnesota. (XcelEnergyMN/X)
Hanson took video of a metal building clinging to what used to be the bank of the river.
"By the end of the day I think it might be going over," Hanson can be heard in the video saying as he chatted with other bystanders.
He didn't have to wait that long.
"There goes the trees," he said as the bank collapsed.
The two large trees then disappeared into the mist of the newly enlarged Rapidan Falls.
DRONE VIDEO CAPTURES DRAMATIC LOOK AT CATASTROPHIC FLOODING IN IOWA
The trees in the center of the screen fall into the waterfall's mist as the bank collapses.
(Randy Hanson /TMX / FOX Weather)
The metal building seemed to hold on for a bit, but then it started to move. The building picked up speed as it closed in on the edge of the falls. Then the mist and the fast water swallow the entire building.
"Well this makes up their decision whether they are going to leave it in or take it out," he can be heard saying in the video.
Hanson captures the moment the building goes over the falls.
(Randy Hanson /TMX / FOX Weather)
Aerial video showed the tremendous volume of water flowing around the dam and down the falls. The river already took part of the road at the top of the video. The dam is still standing at the bottom of the video.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE REVAMPS FLOOD ALERTS
Watch: Minnesota dam in danger of failing due to catastrophic flooding
Video recorded above the Rapidan Dam in Minnesota shows the structure in danger of failing due to flooding caused by days of torrential rain in the Midwest. Residents downstream have been warned about the situation.
As debris piles up against the dam, officials fear the worst. They notified everyone living downstream but did not issue a mandatory evacuation.
"The Dam is in imminent failure condition," posted the Blue Earth County Sheriff's Office on social media. "We do not know if it will totally fail or if it will remain in place, however we determined it was necessary to issue this notification to advise downstream residents and the correct regulatory agencies and other local agencies."
The NWS issued a Flood Warning through Tuesday with more storms in the forecast overnight. The next round of storms arrives Thursday.