‘It Took Everybody’: Neighboring Communities Help Windom Overcome Flooding

In the face of unprecedented flooding in 2024, the City of Windom found itself battling against the unrelenting Des Moines River. While the community had experienced flooding in previous years, this natural disaster proved to be a battle the city could not fight alone.

As the river reached record-breaking heights in June, the community scrambled to protect homes and businesses. City staff prioritized protecting critical infrastructure but could not sandbag public property. Windom community members were quick to step up for their city and neighbors, but the flooding would be insurmountable without support from neighboring communities and outside agencies.

Windom saw its river rise six feet in 24 hours after enduring one of many heavy rains.

“When you go from 17 or 18 to 23 or 24 feet, that doesn’t provide a lot of time for reaction,” Nasby said.

Nasby and his staff reached out to the Department of Natural Resources, MnWARN, and local contractors, and soon, the city was supporting a volunteer-led sandbagging operation nearly around the clock with 100s of volunteers at hand.

“It got to the point where we didn’t even know what day it was,” Nasby said.

Worthington, a city just 30 miles west of Windom, did not experience widespread flooding and was quick to offer support.

Worthington City Administrator Steve Robinson reached out to Nasby the night of June 24, and by the early morning of June 25, Worthington was sending over seven members of its public works team, equipment, and two large trucks to aid Windom’s sandbagging efforts. Worthington’s crew put in nine hours of filling and deploying sandbags on June 25, helping Windom preserve its infrastructure and allowing residents to stay in their homes.

“They just jumped in. Nobody even questioned it,” Robinson said of his city’s public works team. “None of our folks said anything other than, ‘Tell me when and where.’”

Worthington City Council held a grill-out for the city’s public works department to show its appreciation.

“Public works employees have the mindset that we have to work at a moment’s notice,” Robinson said. “They are on call every hour, every day to respond to flooding, snow emergencies, or whatever it might be. They just know that’s part of their responsibility.”

Sandbags were critical. “It’s the difference between people having inches of water and people having feet of water in their homes,” Nasby said. “It took everybody. It was just humbling to see that outpouring of help.

“You’d like to think your fellow man or woman is going to come to your aid and help you in a time of need, but we also know that people are dealing with their own difficulties and their own situations,” Nasby said. “You certainly hope for the best in people, and that’s what really shines through from this.”

As the flood waters subsided, communities such as Worthington, Marshall, Redwood Falls, and Mountain Lake were also quick to respond with their support of staff and equipment. Nasby said “tens of thousands” of sandbags that were protecting private property owners would have taken Windom’s staff a week or two to pick up had it not been for the outside help Windom received.

By the end of the day, a sense of normalcy had replaced the over 50,000 sandbags that covered the city.

“When we are out here in remote areas of the state, there are cases when we need to rely on others for help, and someday it will be us calling and asking for help,” Robinson said. “We know the other cities are going to respond and lend a hand.”