WinnaVegas Casino Resort in Sloan, Ia. closed at 10 a.m. today, June 25th, out of “an abundance of caution” over flooding across the American Midwest.
Floodwaters collapsed this BNSF Railway bridge over the Big Sioux River at 11 p.m. Sunday. It connected North City, SD with Sioux City, Ia. (Image: Associated Press)
“The safety of our associates and our guests is paramount” WinnaVegas GM Tom Teesdale said in a news release. “Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the rising flood waters. Our hope is that all of Siouxland quickly recovers.”
The WinnaVegas Casino says it will reopen when it’s safe to return. (Image: WinnaVegas Casino Resort)
Although the casino has not been affected yet, WinnaVegas officials told KTIV-TV/Sioux City that its entrance road is partially flooded and the water “is expected to continue to rise.”
According to KCAU-TV/Sioux City, first responders and other authorities were on the scene to help get customers and workers to safety.
Storms dumped as much as 18 inches of rain on the area since last Thursday. The flooding has so far affected 3 million people in the Midwest. It has killed two, sent rising water surging around a dam, and collapsed a railroad bridge crossing the swollen Big Sioux River — only about 20 miles from the WinnaVegas.
One of the fatalities was an Illinois man who tried circumnavigating a flood barricade in Spencer, Ia., KTIV reported on Monday. His truck was swept away by the surging Little Sioux River.
WinnaVegas — which was opened in April 1992 by the Winnebago Tribe — said on its Facebook page that it would “reopen when it is safe to return.”
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