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High Winds Create 'Ice Tsunami' On Mille Lacs Lake

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – People living around Lake Mille Lacs knew the ice would eventually have to come off their lake, but they never expected anything like what happened Saturday.

Around 9:30 a.m., people watched in disbelief as ice crawled into doors and windows at Izatys Resort. Winds as strong as 40 miles per hour pushed the wall of ice onto the southeastern shorelines.

Darla Johnson says watching the ice move across land was unsettling.

"You could hear it right through the doors, that's what alerted us to all of it," Johnson said. "And we turned around and you could just see it. It's creepy because it starts coming towards you and you're like 'What is that!'"

The Department of Natural Resources says about ten miles of shoreline are covered in ice, with some mountains of ice as tall as 30 feet.

They're using heavy equipment to move the ice, which has caused damage to several doors and windows.

Ice was still pushed up against homes Saturday night, and in some cases giant rocks and dirt from the lake were also pushed onto shore. Neighbors told WCCO that it was frightening to watch the ice advance.

Click here to view WCCO's gallery of the Mille Lacs ice surge photos submitted by viewers.

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