GREATEST BASEBALL PLAYERS WHO ALSO HAD A STINT IN MINNEAPOLIS, WILLIE MAYS.

>> ERIC: BUT WE START TONIGHT WITH RISING FLOODWATERS AROUND THE STATE.

FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS AND ROAD CLOSURES HAVE BEEN INCREASING THROUGHOUT THE WEEK, INCLUDING A STRETCH OF I-90 IN SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA CLOSING FOR PART OF FRIDAY AS FLOODWATERS OVERTAKE THAT CORNER OF THE STATE.

TONIGHT, WE'RE GOING TO FOCUS ON THE FLOODING AND DAMAGE IN THE NORTHEASTERN PART OF THE STATE WHERE SOME COMMUNITIES RECEIVED MORE THAN 7 INCHES OF RAIN IN TUESDAY'S STORMS.

THE STREETS OF DOWNTOWN COOK, MINNESOTA, REMAIN FLOODED WITH SEVERAL FEET OF WATER, AND ST. LOUIS COUNTY HAS DECLARED A DISASTER.

GOVERNOR WALZ TOURED THE IMPACTED AREAS IN ST. LOUIS COUNTY EARLIER TODAY AND PROMISED HELP FROM THE STATE.

HERE WITH AN UPDATE FOR US ABOUT CLOSED ROADS AND BOUNDARY WATERS ENTRY POINTS, TRAPPED CAMPERS AND MORE, AUTHOR AND CO-FOUNDER OF "PADDLE AND PORTAGE," JOE FRIEDRICHS.

JOE, WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS LIKE TONIGHT?

>> WELL, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL EVENING RIGHT NOW IN GRAND MARAIS, M -- SOME OVERCAST SKIES BUT NO RAIN COMING DOWN.

EVERYBODY I TALKED TO TODAY ABOUT THE FLOODS HAD A CONSISTENT MESSAGE AND THAT WAS WE'RE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS.

WE'RE NOW IN A SORT OF -- LET'S ASSESS THE DAMAGE AND DEAL WITH THE DAMAGE PHASE, AS OPPOSED TO LET'S STOP THE WATER AND THE RAINS COMING DOWN AND THAT CHAOS OF WEDNESDAY, IN PARTICULAR.

>> Cathy: DO YOU THINK, JOE, THAT ONE OF THE HARDEST-HIT AREAS, COOK, MINNESOTA, PRETTY SMALL PLACE, LIKE 500 PEOPLE, IS THE WATER RECEDING THERE?

ARE THEY STILL HAVING SOME ISSUES?

>> CATHY, WHEN I WANTED TO FIND OUT TODAY, THIS AFTERNOON, ABOUT 4:30, WHAT THE SITUATION WAS IN COOK, I WANTED TO CALL ONE PLACE, THE HARDWARE STORE.

SO I CALLED THERE, AND THEY SAID THAT SAME MESSAGE, YOU KNOW WHAT?

THINGS ARE FEELING SO MUCH BETTER TODAY.

THE GOVERNOR'S VISIT ADDED SOME TONE OF, OKAY, THIS S ENOUGH -- THIS IS AN UPBEAT THING, WE'RE RALLYING AS A COMMUNITY HERE.

THE MESSAGE FROM THE HARDWARE STORE, THE FOLKS THERE, WAS, WE GOT THIS, WE'RE ON A BETTER SIDE OF THIS.

>> Eric: WHAT'S THE GENERAL OUTLOOK FOR, LIKE, THE YMCA CAMPERS AND THE CANOEISTS THAT HAVE BEEN STUCK, PEOPLE GOING UP THERE ON THE WEEKEND?

KIND OF SORT THAT OUT FOR US, IF YOU WOULD.

>> SURE.

I TALKED TO SOME PEOPLE AT CAMP WIGIWAGON AROUND NOON TODAY ABOUT HOW PEOPLE ARE COMING AND GOING, ARE THEY ABLE TO COME AND GO ON THE NORTH ARM ROAD THAT WASHED OUT DRAMATICALLY, CAVED IN.

THEY SAID THE SAME THING.

WE FOUND A WAY TO GET PEOPLE OUT, OUT, BACK TO THE ECHO TRAIL.

ECHO TRAIL IS NOW OPEN.

THAT JUST CAME OUT ABOUT AN HOUR AGO, MAYBE.

SO THAT SAME TONE.

YOU KNOW WHAT?

WE'RE FINDING UNIQUE WAYS TO RALLY TOGETHER, WE'RE SUPPORTING EACH OTHER, AND WE'RE GOING TO GET THROUGH THIS, NO ONE'S HURT, I MEAN, THAT'S THE BIG THING.

THERE'S NO INJURIES OR THERE'S DEFINITELY SOME PROPERTY DAMAGE AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT JUST PEOPLE RALLYING TOGETHER.

IT'S REALLY UNIQUE TO SEE THAT TONE FROM COOK, YOU KNOW, DOWN HERE ON THE NORTH SHORE, TO ELY SIDE, TOO.

>> Cathy: WE JUST SAW THREE CANOEISTS WITH THEIR CANOES ON THEIR CARS.

ARE PEOPLE GETTING OUT OF THE BWCA OKAY?

>> YEAH, THAT'S A BIG THING.

THOSE THREE GUYS WERE TRYING TO GET INTO THE BWCA, THAT WAS WEDNESDAY, AT THE MUD OW ENTRY POINT, OFF THE ECHO TRAIL.

THEY COULDN'T BECAUSE THAT ROAD WAS COMPLETELY FLOODED OUT AND GONE, MORE OR LESS.

SO THEY HAD TO REFIGURE PLANS, I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE IF THEY WERE ABLE TO NTER, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THAT PERMIT, WITH THE BOUNDARY WATERS PERMIT, YOU CAN ONLY GET IN OR YOUR ENTRY POINT.

SO THAT'S COMPLICATING THINGS.

NOW PEOPLE GETTING OUT, THAT'S A WHOLE OTHER STORY.

MUD ROAD, TODAY, I KNOW, THEY WERE ABLE TO GET SOME VEHICLES OUT, THEY REBUILT THAT ROAD IN A VERY MAKE SHIFT WAY, TO GET THE VEHICLES THAT WERE ON THE INSIDE OUT.

SO THAT'S A SITUATION THAT PEOPLE ARE DEFINITELY DEALING WITH, LIKE TO COME OUT OF THE BOUNDARY WATERS, YOU CAN'T GET YOUR CAR OUT OF THE ENTRY POINT, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO, THE FOREST SERVICE IS TAKING THAT VERY SERIOUSLY AND WORKING TO GET THAT FIXED.

SO IT'S A TOP PRIORITY.

IT IS HAPPENING.

>> Cathy: OKAY, GOOD TO KNOW.

SAY, I KNOW FOLKS ARE SAYING, HEY, WE'RE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS, BUT SEEING SOME OF THESE PHOTOGRAPHS, THERE'S SOME SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE UP THERE, OBVIOUSLY.

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT ANY STATE OR FEDERAL HELP TO GET THESE FOLKS BACK ON THEIR FEET?

>> I KNOW, YOU KNOW, WITH THE GOVERNOR'S VISIT TODAY AND THAT PLEDGE, I THINK HE SAID, SAVE YOUR RECEIPTS, SO THEY'RE JUST GOING TO HAVE SOME ACCOUNTABILITY, THE STATE HAS SET ASIDE, $24 MILLION, I THINK IT IS, OR MORE, $50 MILLION IN DAMAGE IN St. LOUIS COUNTY, I HEARD ONE OF THE COMMISSIONERS SAY.

SO SIGNIFICANT, OBVIOUSLY.

IN COOK OUNTY, IT AS NOT BEEN DECLARED A DISASTER YET.

THE WEST END OF THE CONFIDENT, SCHROEDER, TOFTE, MAYBE A LITTLE BIT IN LUTSEN, THEY SAW SOME SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE.

A LOT OF THIS IS ELY, St. LOUIS COUNTY, LAKE COUNTY.

THEY'VE GOT SERIOUS DAMAGE THERE, TOO.

SO, THERE'S FUNDING AVAILABLE, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE STEPPING UP.

BOTH FEDERAL AND STATE IT LOOKS LIKE.

>> Eric: WHERE DOES THIS STACK UP IN THE HISTORY OF HEAVY RAIN IN THAT PART OF THE STATE?

>> IT DEPENDS WHAT COUNTY YOU ASK.

I KNOW OUR COOK COUNTY SHERIFF SAID, I'VE BEEN THROUGH WORSE, I THINK HE WAS TALKING WITH YOU, CATHY, THE OTHER DAY AND SAID THAT.

St. LOUIS COUNTY, THEY'RE SAYING, THIS IS REALLY BAD, I KNOW THE NIGHT OF THE STORM ITSELF, TUESDAY NIGHT, SOME PEOPLE HERE IN COOK COUNTY WERE SAYING, THIS REMINDS ME OF THE BLOWDOWN FROM '99.

THIS IS REALLY INTENSE.

SOME OF THE FOOTAGE YOU SHOWED OF THOSE TREES COMING DOWN WERE DOWN AT THE END OF THE GUNFLINT.

IT DEPENDS WHO YOU ASK.

IT WAS REALLY VARIED.

BUT, YOU KNOW, SEVEN PLUS INCHES IN TWO HARBORS, FIVE IN TOFTE.

FIVE OVER IN ELY, IN THAT AREA.

SO, IT DEPENDS WHO YOU ASK, AS FAR AS WHAT TO COMPARE IT TO.

I'VE HEARD A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS TOSSED OUT.

>> Cathy: FINAL QUESTION FOR YOU.

IF FOLKS WANT TO KNOW ABOUT CLOSURES IN THE BWCA OR ANY CLOSURES IN STATE PARKS, THAT KIND OF THING, WHERE MIGHT THEY GO FOR INFORMATION?

>> RIGHT.

THE FOREST SERVICE IS UPDATING THAT INFORMATION.

WE HAVE IT AT PADDLE AND PORTAGE, THAT INFORMATION, A LOT OF THE OUTFITTERS ARE A GREAT PLACE FOR THAT, TOO.

THEY KNOW.

STATE PARKS, IT'S THE -- THE DNR IS HANDLING THAT.

SUPERIOR HIKING TRAIL, THEY'RE ADVISING PEOPLE TO STAY OFF THE SUPERIOR HIKING TRAIL RIGHT NOW TO DECREASE THE RISK OF PEOPLE GETTING INJURED AND STRETCHING THESE RESOURCES THAT ARE ALREADY PRETTY THIN RIGHT NOW.

>> Cathy: ALL RIGHT.

JOE, IT'S BEEN GREAT SEEING YOU.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> Eric: THANKS, JOE.

>>