JOHNSTON, Iowa (KCAU) — More than 1,000 Iowa residents slept in shelters Saturday night after floodwaters inundated the northwestern part of the state and destroyed hundreds of properties, Gov. Kim Reynolds said.

Entire neighborhoods were forced to evacuate after 13 rivers flooded the region following weeks of rain, the Associated Press reported.

“After four years of drought, the state has experienced unusually heavy rainfall this spring,” Reynolds said during a press conference on Sunday. “Some areas up in northwest Iowa got up to 15 inches of rain over two days.”

“I can tell you, the devastation is severe, and it’s widespread. In almost every community impacted, the rivers crested several feet above record levels from the floods of 1993,” she added.

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Reynolds declared a disaster for 21 counties, including Sioux County, where drone footage showed roofs and treetops poking above the water, with streets completely submerged.

“Businesses are shuttered. Main streets have been impacted,” Reynolds said. “Hospitals, nursing homes and other care facilities were evacuated. Cities are without power, and some are without drinkable water.”

She reiterated that while it’s still early, the projected damage is staggering.

“It’s not over yet. As the flood water begins to recede in the far northern communities… that water will head downstream. And areas to the south are planning for rivers to crest at record levels,” she said, adding that more rain is expected later this week.

Officials estimate 1,900 properties have been impacted and hundreds have been destroyed by the recent flood — including agricultural land, businesses, and community centers.

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The governor said she has directed the Iowa National Guard and Urban Search and Rescue teams to assist in recovery efforts. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources conducted 250 water rescues on Saturday alone, she said.

“This is, as the governor correctly noted, this is a very serious flood we are in right now,” said Jon Benson, the director of Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management, during the press conference. “And it is not going to cease; it is going to blossom across the state.”

Reynolds said she spoke with the regional FEMA administrator and submitted a request for an expedited Presidential Disaster Declaration.

Meanwhile, Benson said they’re working to ensure resources — like medicine, cots and food — are being moved across the state as needed.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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