Water levels are lowering across southern Minnesota, leaving behind major flood damage in neighborhoods across the region.

RELATED: Mankato residents dump debris from flood-damaged basements; City prepares for more rain

Evidence of flood damage is everywhere, with downed trees, trashed furniture and sump pumps draining water into the street. Right now, cleanup is a community effort as the city waits for answers about what’s next.

On South Avenue in North Mankato, residents in flood damage cleanup mode are overworked, like many of their sump pumps.

“It was running for three days every 32 seconds,” said John Miller, a five-year-resident of Mankato, who is in the middle of a full floor replacement. “It looked like little fountains coming up through the floor… and eventually, I was seeing it in the carpet, the pump just couldn’t keep up. There was so much pressure it was coming up through the cracks.”

He says the situation is worse for many of his neighbors, who are impacted by the area’s unique geography.

“The thing about North Mankato… we sit really low and we’re sandy down here… it’s not that the flood came in from the top… it tends to be the water coming in from the bottom and pushing up,” said North Mankato Mayor Scott Carlson.

Judson Bottom Road — a popular scenic route for drivers, bikers and hikers — is now closed indefinitely due to heavy rain and the city is bracing for the damage to get worse.

“Until we have a handle on risk factors, I’m not comfortable reopening it… my experience tells me I have some concerns about the rock,” said Luke Arnold, North Mankato public works director.

While neighboring Mankato and Blue Earth County are set to receive emergency disaster relief, North Mankato and Nicollet County are currently not on that list.

That leaves homeowners and city officials wondering who will pay for all the flood damage.

“We hope to get in the conversation for some federal aid, some state aid… and maybe in the future get creative with the corps of engineers… and have that flood wall just continue on down,” Carlson said.

Miller says cleanup has been a community effort — lending generators and looking over neighbors’ homes.

As he counts up the damage, he says he’s also counting his blessings. “I’m grateful that it wasn’t inches… or feet.”

FEMA has approved disaster relief for 22 Minnesota counties so far, with another 20 under review as officials continue to assess the regions of the state impacted by floods.