Brown County SD Office of Emergency Management

Brown County SD Office of Emergency Management To help the citizens and responders of Brown County prepare, respond, recover, and mitigate against Our major city and county seat is Aberdeen. Fires
a.

Brown County is located on the North Dakota border in the Northeastern part of the state. We have a population of 36,531 people or about 21.1 people per square mile. Our Emergency Operation Center is located in the courthouse. Aberdeen has a paid police force and paid fire department with a hazardous materials team. Brown County has an ambulance service run by the Aberdeen fire department. In add

ition, we have 8 volunteer fire/rescue departments throughout the county, a county-wide 911 dispatch center, a sheriff's office with approximately 16 deputies, and one other community with a paid police department of 4 people. Brown County is susceptible to numerous forms of natural and technological hazards ranked in the following order. Structural
b. Grassland
c. Grassland/urban interface. Weather Related
a. Winter Storm
b. Summer Storms and High Winds
c. Flash Flood
d. Inundation Flooding
e. Drought
Hazardous Materials Incident
Aviation Situation-i.e. Commercial flight patterns
Civil Defense/Terrorism/WMD
Mass Casualty Incident
Utility Mishap
Dam Failure
Nuclear Incident
Earthquake

Emergency/disasters resulting from hazards might cause disruption in the following area:

Utilities
Transportation Systems
Communications
Food and Delivery of Necessities. Damage or destruction of homes and shelter needed to maintain daily life.

We have a couple of items of interest for this week. Heavy rains this past week have pushed lots of water into the Elm L...
06/02/2026

We have a couple of items of interest for this week.

Heavy rains this past week have pushed lots of water into the Elm Lake and Elm River basins. River gauges below the dam at Elm Lake have increased considerably. Westport gauge is starting to see an increase of water. With more rain in the forecast please keep an eye on water levels.

Severe weather is also in the forecast for the next three 3 days. Please make sure you have a way to receive NWS alerts and warnings. With children being out of school make sure they know your home weather plan and what to do.

Photos are of the severe weather potential for this week.

Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...Southwestern Brown County in northeastern South Dakota...* Until 1015 PM CDT.* At 933 ...
06/01/2026

Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...
Southwestern Brown County in northeastern South Dakota...

* Until 1015 PM CDT.

* At 933 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Richmond Lake
Rec Area, or 7 miles northwest of Aberdeen, moving northeast at 15
mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

06/01/2026

Serious rainfall in the McPherson County area tonight. If you live along some of the creeks and drainage channels between Leola and either Mina or Richmond Lakes, Wetonka area, be prepared for those areas to see a increase of water.

Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...Northwestern Brown County in northeastern South Dakota...Northeastern McPherson County...
06/01/2026

Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...
Northwestern Brown County in northeastern South Dakota...
Northeastern McPherson County in north central South Dakota...

* Until 830 PM CDT.

* At 740 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Elm Lake, or
12 miles southwest of Ellendale, moving northeast at 15 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

Sitting on my deck this morning enjoying the beautiful Memorial Weekend. Thinking of all the Soldiers that gave us this ...
05/24/2026

Sitting on my deck this morning enjoying the beautiful Memorial Weekend. Thinking of all the Soldiers that gave us this freedom. The ones who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Thank you to those and God Bless the USA

Bring those new flowers indoors or cover them up tonight. Freeze warning from 11 PM this evening to 8 AM CDT Wednesday.
05/19/2026

Bring those new flowers indoors or cover them up tonight. Freeze warning from 11 PM this evening to 8 AM CDT Wednesday.

Last week BCEM and Avera Careflight hosted a training class for some of our Fire Departments, EMS, and Law Enforcement f...
05/18/2026

Last week BCEM and Avera Careflight hosted a training class for some of our Fire Departments, EMS, and Law Enforcement folks. This 3 hours course detailed helicopter landing zones, and also critical care simulation, using the Avera Careflight Sim-SD mobile training center and realistic mannequins.
Thank you Careflight for the excellent training.

05/16/2026

Hope you all survived the crazy winds we have been having.
On a little different note Sunday brings our first chances of severe weather to the area. Please make sure you have checked your NOAA weather radio, changed batteries and are ready to get alerts. Also with school getting out please make sure your kids know what to do if severe weather approaches.
Stay Safe Friends...

05/11/2026

This week May 11-15 is going to be high fire danger. Please if you could postpone any outdoor burning. Strong gusty winds and no moisture in the forecast are creating not so good fire conditions.

Address

124 South 1st Street
Aberdeen, SD
57401

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+16056267122

Website

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