'Praying This Dam Holds': Aerial Footage Shows Minnesota's Rapidan Dam as 'Partial Failure' Confirmed

The Rapidan Dam near Mankato, Minnesota, risked “imminent failure” after flooding rain swelled the Blue Earth River, officials warned on Monday, June 24.

Footage captured by Brandon Knudsvig from a helicopter shows the dam, as water flows around it. Knudsvig said there was also “debris jammed at the top.”

“Praying this dam holds and everyone is safe,” he wrote on Facebook.

The Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office said on June 24 there had been “a partial failure on the west abutment”. However, the dam was “still intact,” they said, and there were “no current plans for a mass evacuation.”

Gov Tim Walz said emergency management officials were “acting quickly to ensure the safety of Minnesotans as the situation develops.” Credit: Brandon Knudsvig via Storyful