Flood Cleanup in Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis flood cleanup is dominated by the drama of spring snowmelt — when 50+ inches of accumulated winter snow and ice liquefies over several weeks in March and April, overwhelming the capacity of frozen ground to absorb water and the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers to convey it. The Mississippi River at Minneapolis has a 100-year flood stage of approximately 28 feet at the Stone Arch Bridge gauge — the 2001 spring flood approached this level and flooded Bohemian Flats, the West Bank, and low-lying areas of the North Loop. The Bassett Creek, which runs underground through much of downtown Minneapolis, can overflow its culverted channels during extreme rainfall events, creating flooding in the North Loop and Bryn Mawr neighborhoods. Minneapolis flood cleanup differs from warmer-climate events in one critical way: spring snowmelt floodwater is often just above freezing, slowing drying times and extending the period during which mold growth begins to establish in wet building materials.