Summer weather woes

    As Chickasaw County residents cleaned up after a thunderstorm with winds up to 70 miles per hour moved through the area last week, Mother Nature delivered another punch Friday and Saturday.    Residents in the southeastern part of New Hampton and in Fredericksburg reported receiving more than 12 inches of rain in a 24-hour period, which led to major flooding in the county.    “We had a ton of roads closed, especially last night,” Chickasaw County Sheriff Marty Hemann said Saturday afternoon, “and it appears the southern half of the county was hit the hardest.”    Hemann got a firsthand look at the flooding early Saturday morning when he took a call of a stranded vehicle near the Casey’s store in Fredericksburg.    “What happens is the south part of Fredericksburg — up by the football field — is higher than the rest of town,” he said, “and when you get 12 inches of rain, it’s got to go somewhere.”     When he arrived at the scene, he found a young couple with a 5-month-old baby stranded in a vehicle but was able to get them out of the car, and he then transported them to a motel in New Hampton.    “They were coming from Minnesota and going to West Union,” he said, “and I get it. It’s dark out, and he just said he couldn’t see that the road was covered with water.”    The National Weather Service said New Hampton officially received 8.32 inches of rain in the 24-hour period that ended at 6 saturday morning, but several residents reported receiving more than 12 inches of rain.
    For the full story, please see the July 25 Tribune.