Residents flooded in Cook, where high water could last over week

COOK — It stopped raining Tuesday evening. Then, almost 12 hours later, the water came.

Donnie Roderick, of Cook, had just stepped off a fishing boat in downtown with some items from his flooded home Thursday when he flipped through his phone photos to show the progress of the rising Little Fork River a day earlier, noting the time each photo was taken.

Everything at his home was fine at 7 a.m. Wednesday.

By 11:20 a.m., water entered his garage.

By noon, his home’s crawlspace was full of water.

Four hours later, 6 inches of water invaded his home’s living space.

It had probably risen to about a foot by Thursday, he figured. It’s chest-deep when he's standing in the yard, he said as he loaded his side-by-side off-road vehicle with a few bags from his home. His three-wheeler and company truck were back at his house, submerged with most of his other belongings.

“Grabbed what we can, that’s about it. The rest of it? I don’t know. What do you do? You just kind of leave it,” Roderick said. “You can only carry out so much. It just kind of sucks that it happened. Just kind of part of the game, I guess.”

Roderick’s home is one of the many Cook homes and businesses flooded after a strong storm system Tuesday dumped 4.2 inches of rain on Cook and 7.6 inches of rain on the headwaters of the Little Fork River near Lake Vermilion.

The Little Fork River then runs through Cook before heading north and emptying into the Rainy River.

The most severe flooding was in downtown Cook and other low-lying areas near the river.

The National Weather Service said Thursday evening that water levels likely peaked Thursday and will start to recede, but it could be slowed by additional rain forecast for Friday and Saturday.

“Water should continue to come down but, especially initially, it will be a very slow decline,” the Weather Service said. “Flooding of the downtown areas seems likely at least through the weekend. High water on the river and in low-lying areas of town could continue through next week and into next weekend.”

Nate and Tifany Briggs stood at the South River Street and Second Avenue Southeast intersection Thursday afternoon and watched the water slowly creep away from a black marker line on the sidewalk where the highest water level was recorded earlier in the day.

While their home, just a few feet from the edge of the flood, was largely spared of the worst effects, sewage was backing up into their basement. Nate Briggs figured residents' sump pumps were directed into the sanitary sewer, overwhelming it.

Manhole covers were also reported loose and sewage was assumed to be mixed into the floodwaters.

Still, some kids played in the water downtown, jumping on the back of the moose statue outside Cook Public Library, which the Briggs were using as an unofficial flood gauge.

Water was up to the moose’s mouth Thursday afternoon, but Tifany Briggs showed a series of photos on her phone of water rising from the statue’s hooves to its belly throughout Wednesday.

According to Cook City Councilor Liza Root, no injuries were reported. Members of the St. Louis County Rescue Squad were canvassing the town, going door-to-door to make sure everyone who needed a place to stay was covered and residents' health needs were met.

Carefree Living, an assisted living facility in Cook, had evacuated its residents to the Carefree site in Orr, according to a handwritten sign on the front door.

Scrap-wood signs with “hospital” written in blue spray paint provided motorists with an alternate route from state Highway 53 to Cook Hospital and Care Center.

Root, speaking from the Cook Community Center, said she’s been impressed with the community’s response.

“It’s been amazing to see our community come out,” Root said. “And honestly, I think it’s our greatest asset.”

Volunteers filled sandbags in the community center’s parking lot, which were taken throughout town, to help prevent water from entering homes, businesses and City Hall.

Ellen Shuster, of Cook, was among the volunteers shoveling sand and gravel into green bags. Others brought water, cheeseburgers and pizza to the command center.

“I think it was nice to let everybody who wanted to help do something,” Shuster said. “Hopefully, as real needs start when the water goes down, everyone will keep that attitude.”