SLAYTON — Many Murray County residents are likely to remember 2019 as a year of spring flood damage followed by more flood damage in the fall.

The Murray County Board declared a state of emergency at a special meeting Friday morning in response to heavy rain last Thursday. Parts of the county recorded up to 12 inches of rain, which followed additional substantial rainfall earlier in the week.

County Administrator Tom Burke said Monday that only one county road, Murray County Road 27, had yet to be re-opened. The highway is located northwest of Lake Wilson in western Murray County near Minnesota Highway 91, which has been under construction for much of the summer.

County crews are moving forward with damage assessments on flood impacted roads. Friday’s declaration allows for a 30-day state of emergency, which provides time to verify the extent of weather-related damage.

The findings will be compiled for possible disaster aid reimbursement. Observations in the wake of heavy rains indicate that damage could easily go beyond the threshold needed to apply for disaster relief.

“A large part of the process involves assessing damage on the roads and in right of way zones,” Burke said. “We expect that most of the damage will involve transportation infrastructure. There isn’t widespread flood activity around homes or buildings.”

Burke said about three-quarters of Murray County was within a band of the heaviest rainfall from last Thursday’s storm.

The highest totals extended from the northwest corner in Ellsborough Township near Ruthton to the southeast corner in the Fulda area. Initial road closings were most heavily concentrated in areas near Lake Wilson and in places between Slayton and Fulda.

The Lake Shetek and Lake Sarah area reported less rainfall, but still saw large enough amounts to aggravate existing high water levels.

Much of the most significant flooding this spring was located southeast of Lake Shetek. It impacted the End-O-Line Railroad Park museum on the north side of Currie, while also causing flood activity downstream. Overflow from Lake Louisa further to the east contributed to widespread river area damage, as water levels exceeded the capacity of the river channel throughout much of the upper reaches of the Des Moines River’s west fork.

“The lakes area is a concern even though it didn’t have the largest amounts of rain last week,” Burke said. “Areas to the west and south drain in that direction. It prolongs the high water issues.”

Friday’s state of emergency declaration could be the start of a new disaster relief process. The time period for assessments based on spring circumstances elapsed this summer, which makes this month’s storm an entirely new weather event.

Rainfall in Murray County was part of a region-wide weather system that brought severe flood activity to nearby eastern South Dakota, particularly to Big Sioux River area communities like Madison and Flandreau. The same storm led to tornado damage in Sioux Falls to the Avera Heart Hospital, some of the commercial areas near Western Avenue, and a number of other locations.

Areas north of the most severe rain amounts were also impacted. The combination of several sizable rain events in less than a week led to flash flooding near the Marshall airport and industrial park, as well as prolonged road closings north of the city near Green Valley.

Burke said flood aftermath will be discussed in detail at upcoming Murray County Board meetings in Slayton. It’s not known at this point if flood-related repairs might require the services of contractors, or if they might in some instances extend into next spring.