Cannon Falls residents working to keep the Cannon River from getting too close to home. Photo by Jeff Goldberg / FOX 9 News.
The wall of sandbags between the Conway home and the Cannon River in Cannon Falls
Cannon River in Cannon Falls moving fast after heavy rainsCANNON FALLS, Minn. (KMSP) -
Water receded in Cannon Falls on Friday, where officials were cautiously optimistic the worst was over after 5 to 8 inches of heavy rain sent the Cannon River and the Little Cannon River over their banks, forcing an evacuation of about 20 homes.
Police Chief Jeff McCormick lifted the evacuation recommendation by Friday afternoon, with caution.
"Don't go into the water, he said. "Even though it may look calm on the surface, it is moving very, very swiftly."
Much of that caution is fueled by concerns of more rain in the weekend forecast.
Straight-line winds from Thursday's storms did some of the most visible damage, with the worst in the southern Goodhue County towns of Kenyon, Wanamingo and Cherry Grove Township.
One resident told Goodhue County Sheriff Scott McNurlin he thinks a tornado hit Thursday night and that "it looked like the Wizard of Oz."
McNurlin said there's signs of tornadic activity in southern Goodhue County, where storms left a path of twisted metal, snapped trees, and damaged homes and barns.
The sheriff wouldn't put a dollar amount on the storm damage, but said it's "fairly significant." In Cherry Grove Township, one minor injury was reported and some livestock will have to be destroyed.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report
