Part of a Minnesota home has plunged into the Blue Earth River as deadly Midwest flooding threatens the nearby Rapidan Dam

Part of a house perched on the edge of the Blue Earth River in Minnesota collapsed into raging waters as deadly flooding that hit the Midwest threatened the nearby Rapidan Dam, which was built in the early 1900s.

Part of a house perched on the edge of the Blue Earth River in Minnesota collapsed into raging waters as deadly flooding that hit the Midwest threatened the nearby Rapidan Dam, which was built in the early 1900s. “A portion of the house on the property closest to the Rapidan Dam has been undercut enough to have fallen into the river,” Blue Earth County authorities said in a Facebook post Tuesday night. At least two people are dead after days of severe storms and catastrophic flooding in the Upper Midwest inundated homes and forced evacuations. The Rapidan Dam, near the city of Mankato, was in “imminent failure condition,” the Blue Earth County government said Monday. The dam was still standing Wednesday morning. Assessment and response efforts are underway as the area has seen significant damage and loss of infrastructure and property, authorities said Wednesday. As a result of the partial failure and raging waters, the river has swallowed a home, a power substation and power poles, a steel shipping container, county equipment and more, said Blue Earth County Administrator Robert Meyer. Officials are monitoring activity downstream to ensure that there’s no further damage, Meyer said Wednesday. They’re concerned that erosion could impact the pier supporting the County Road 9 bridge, affecting the structural integrity of the bridge. The county will “explore mitigation options to ensure that the bridge remains as well as the dam,” Meyer said. “As we watch the house that was on that cliffside and the erosion of the hillside there, I think it just goes to show how incredibly powerful that water is,” John Cunningham, assistant commissioner for the Department of Public Safety, said Wednesday at a news conference. “It’s a reminder of how important it is to stay away from any moving water.”