Former Aberdeen mayor Levsen recalls that during the 2007 flood, help came fast from Gov. Rounds and the National Guard.

The recent historic rainstorm and subsequent flooding in southeastern South Dakota triggered memories of our 2007 flood in Aberdeen.
Not deploying the National Guard in this 2024 event was a contrast with how important those troops’ efforts were for us in 2007 — and how consequential  it was to have them on duty in our community. Gov. Mike Rounds, who was in the state and on duty, was available to quickly help us.

Rain showers started in mid-evening on Cinco de Mayo and did not stop. 

Reports ranged from 8-10 inches condensed in just a few hours. This overwhelmed stormwater systems and as the water sought out weak spots, some neighborhoods became lakes.

A large section of the northern part of the city had filled basements and water even up into first floors. Most basements throughout Aberdeen had at least some water standing in lower levels. There was damage to infrastructure.

Gov. Rounds was on the scene personally within hours. Working with the Brown County Emergency people and the city public works crews, Rounds brought in state employees and volunteers.

This was an organized, established process (perhaps similar to the combined effort of the national guard, contractors and volunteers pictured above in another South Dakota flood in a public domain image posted on wikimedia commons); a standing team of men and women assembled here from around the state. They represented various areas of expertise and applied their experience to our recovery efforts.

County and city employees meshed with these folks and, from my viewpoint, things were handled about as well as one could expect, considering the huge task. The water was pumped away slowly, revealing a real mess.

Residents who were able to get back in their homes began emptying basements of carpets, furniture, appliances, wall material, clothing and much more. Mountains of heavy, wet stuff covered the curbs.

What to do with it?  This is where the National Guard’s role was so essential.

Rounds quickly ordered in National Guard trucks and crews to haul away everything thrown out to the curbs. Tons and tons of soaking material from hundreds of homes was loaded and taken to the landfill. Without the troops, we’d have been overwhelmed. It would have taken a long, long time, an unknown number of hours, and would have significantly delayed our getting back to normal.

Assistance offices for the Federal Emergency Management Agency were set up almost immediately. Not all got help, but many did.

It was a bit frustrating with all this work being done, with the mayor having no defined role. The mayor’s office involvement was mostly in fielding complaint calls.

The knee-jerk public response in these dynamic events is typically an emotional perception that “nobody’s giving us information.” People want answers and solutions immediately but things change so quickly there’s often no time to alert everyone. Of course, some frustration was understandable and not everything went smoothly.

Even so, getting state help immediately was crucial for the cooperative response. Activating the National Guard was particularly appreciated and seemed entirely mission-appropriate. Was it too expensive?  As I recall, the cost involved was never mentioned.

No community can handle a 10-inch rain in a few hours without problems and if it happens here again we'll have some tough days. However, the 2007 event gave us clues for how to be better situated to lessen the damage — and we are optimistic we will do better if it comes.

Mike Levsen is a former mayor of Aberdeen and a regular contributor to The South Dakota Standard.