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13 Jun 08 - 07:23 PM (#2365478) Subject: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Azizi "The worst flooding Cedar Rapids has ever seen." That's how the morning talk show host on 600 WMT-AM just described the devastation. Make no mistake - this is a flood of epic proportions. Nothing like this has been seen in Eastern Iowa in recorded history. To give some perspective on just how bad it is, here are the river crests for the previous big floods: Previous record flood in 1929: 20 feet The Flood of 1993: 19.3 feet Current river level in downtown Cedar Rapids: ~30 feet and still rising," http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/6/13/101636/281/684/535293 "Unprecedented." Iowa Flooding - w/ photos *UPDATED* by DemocraticOz Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 09:04:20 AM PDT -snip- Here's a few comments from that diary: "it's going to be difficult because the flooding is so widespread. Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana all hit hard. Roads out, bridges out, difficult to get equipment in. But Americans always pull together and help each other out". by whitewidow on Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 11:09:54 AM PDT ** "Sending prayers from New Orleans. This is heartbreaking. What's the humanitarian situation? Are people getting what they need, and getting where they need to go? by nolakohler on Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 09:15:29 AM PDT ** "They seem to be at the moment. They opened shelters in line with the 500 year evacuation plan, and then some of those had to be closed due to either loss of power or threats of flooding. Water is being trucked in to several of the smaller communities who are completely without it. Shelters are being administered by the Red Cross, and seem to be functioning well at this point. There are several that are full, but so far OK. The main problem they're having is that people won't stay out of the water or evacuate when they're told to. They've had 150 rescues since last night because people won't get out. I can't say I blame them in certain terms. If you live a mile from the river and at a higher elevation, you just don't ever expect water to ever get to your house. Thanks for your response". by DemocraticOz on Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 09:18:40 AM PDT -snip- I'm also sending prayers for the safety & the well being of all people [and animals] in those areas. |
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13 Jun 08 - 07:26 PM (#2365481) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Azizi All people in the USA will be economically affected by these floods. "I have real concerns about our agricultural sector. I have toured the state and seen the devastation to our crops," [Iowa Gov. Chet] Culver said. Iowa is usually the top U.S. corn and soybeans growing state and is a major producer of hogs and cattle. Crop losses could spur price rises for everything from food to fuels, like corn-based ethanol, and play into growing fears of inflation threatening the already battered U.S. economy" http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080613/ts_nm/usa_flooding_dc -snip- Here are additional excerpts from that article: "The flooding led authorities to close the upper Mississippi River to barge traffic, and commerce on a 300-mile stretch of the most important U.S. waterway may be shut down for weeks. An epic 1993 Midwest flood swamped several cities in Iowa, Missouri and neighboring states, killing 48 people and caused $21 billion in losses. Along with torrential rains, the Midwest has been struck by several tornadoes, adding to the highest U.S. death toll from twisters in a decade. A tornado on Wednesday killed four teenage boys at a scout camp in western Iowa. OTHER STATES SWAMPED Flooding has also swamped parts of Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Kansas and Indiana. Officials in Indiana have reported three flood-related deaths. Three deaths have been reported in Iowa. "The Mississippi was expected to crest in St. Louis in eight days at a level below the peak seen in the 1993 flood, which prompted buy-outs of many riverfront properties and the construction of higher levees and more secure flood walls... Scores of highways across the region were closed by flooding, turning short trips into lengthy detours. Farmers across the region hoped for a break in the parade of storms that have swamped thousands of acres of planted fields or prevented them from planting anything". Corn rose to record highs for the seventh session in a row at the Chicago Board of Trade, and soybean meal prices soared to a 35-year high on concerns of processing plant shutdowns". |
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13 Jun 08 - 07:45 PM (#2365493) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Melissa "The worst flooding Cedar Rapids has ever seen." That's how the morning talk show host..." Does that mean the current flood is higher than in '93, or does it mean that the level raised faster than they've got on record? |
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13 Jun 08 - 07:57 PM (#2365498) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Azizi Melissa, the title of the dailykos diary says it all, this level of flooding is "unprecedented". Here are some more comments that address other consequences of these floods: "Thanks, DemocraticOz [the author of the dailykos diary whose link has been provided in this thread], from your WI [Wisconsin] neighbor. ...I want to underscore that what DO says is absolutely true: this is an epic situation. The storm has cut a wide swath across the midwest. Iowa has really suffered, as have other midwestern states. I'm so sorry. One amazing aspect of all this is the magnitude of the disaster's impact. Sometimes these tragedies are relatively confined to a smaller geographic area. This current widespread flooding is beyond our capacity to deal with it. We've been looking at maps and this neverending story and wondering where all the water can go. We always come back to the same answer: flooding is the only option. Some kids fell into the water in WI [Wisconsin] while trying to clean some things up and accidentally swallowed some water. They both became very ill. Officials say that there's no guarantee that they can keep the wastewater systems going with all the overflow. Already raw sewage overflowed into major lakes in my area. by bleeding heart on Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 10:03:35 AM PDT ** "sewage and livestock waste are huge problems that take a long, long time to clear up. Towns and farms get their water from wells which get contaminated. Getting them clear for use again, well, might not happen for many weeks or even months." by bigforkgirl on Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 11:00:40 AM PD |
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13 Jun 08 - 08:04 PM (#2365505) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Azizi I realize my use of the term "flood level" may be unclear-this 2008 flood is worse than the 1993 flood because the crest is much higher and it affects a large geographical area. Here's the figures from that excerpt I quoted in my first post to this thread: To give some perspective on just how bad it is, here are the river crests for the previous big floods: Previous record flood in 1929: 20 feet The Flood of 1993: 19.3 feet Current river level in downtown Cedar Rapids: ~30 feet and still rising. -snip- I think I remember reading somewhere that the river level in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa got to 31.5 feet before beginning to recede today. That's 12.2 feet more than in 1993. |
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13 Jun 08 - 08:10 PM (#2365508) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Melissa I was actually asking because I thought maybe you had some information that I'm lacking. It may surprise you to hear that occasionally words used in headlines/titles are not entirely accurate and are often misleading. I think asking whether the flood was at its higest level ever or whether it meant the highest level reached in a certain length of time was/is a perfectly valid question--especially when your clipping goes on to mention the 1993 flood. Weathercasters tend to use words that make ANY type of weather seem frightening or exciting. I was hoping maybe you had read something that would let me know how prepared I need to be in case we flood again. |
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13 Jun 08 - 08:13 PM (#2365510) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Melissa the 93 flood covered an area larger than Cedar Rapids and I do not think "worse" is necessarily an accurate term yet. |
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13 Jun 08 - 08:36 PM (#2365519) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Azizi I think asking whether the flood was at its higest level ever or whether it meant the highest level reached in a certain length of time was/is a perfectly valid question--especially when your clipping goes on to mention the 1993 flood. I agree. Melissa, I'm not sure why you think that my responses were dismissive of your question. That wasn't my intent at all. Best wishes, Azizi |
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14 Jun 08 - 04:38 AM (#2365682) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: GUEST,Shimrod One reason why recent weather events, or other natural disasters, are described as "worse" than those which came before is that, these days, there are many more people and chunks of infrastructure in the way. Hence the personal and economic consequences of extreme weather events are much greater than they used to be. And the design of the infrastucture is often based on the deadly assumptions that only short term profits matter and "really bad things rarely happen here". Hence all those 'jerry-built' schools in the path of the recent Chinese earthquake ... |
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14 Jun 08 - 12:00 PM (#2365839) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Bee Hope everyone there stays safe. There has been a lot of coverage on Canadian television of these massive floods. Related is that some locals here in Nova Scotia are quite angry with our national media and their local affiliates (CBC, CTV, etc.) because while we see lots of 'human interest' stories about these US floods, which granted affect a lot more people, the 10km by 2+km fire burning out of control here since yesterday has had minimal coverage until this afternoon, and media still is full of conflicting info and lack of up to date content. Over 3000 people have been evacuated, many left pets behind, roads are closed, water bombers have been called in, homes have been destroyed (no one knows how many or which homes), power is out in many areas. I am about 15km east of this fire, and had no power for seven hours yesterday, and may lose it again. |
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14 Jun 08 - 12:24 PM (#2365858) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Azizi I'm also sorry about that catastrophe, Bee, and I also pray for those families affected by it. And since there are always catastrophes, I guess that means sending out prayers, good vibes, and best wishes to the world is a constant activity. Also, since "all news is local", I'm not sure why your media isn't reporting on that fire. And on a less serious note, I couldn't remember what "10km by 2+km" was in the measurement system that the United States still uses, so I looked up a website that would help me figure it out. I found this one: http://www.calculateme.com/Speed/KilometersperHour/ToMilesperHour.htm That website "Convert[s] Kilometers per Hour to Miles per Hour" by not only citing the rule that "1 Kilometer per Hour = 0.621371192237334 Miles per Hour" but also providing a handy dandy box in which people can put the number of kilometers that they want to convert to miles. So I put in 10km and found out that "10 Kilometers per Hour = 6.2137119223733395 Miles per Hour" [.2137119223733395??!!] And then I put in the 2km and got "2 Kilometers per Hour = 1.242742384474668 Miles per Hour". So does that means that the fire covers about 6 miles across and 1+ miles over? [Now you can see why I got bad grades in math]. |
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14 Jun 08 - 12:39 PM (#2365865) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Azizi It just occurred to me that the quote I was thinking of was that "All politics is local" not "All news is local". Sorry for the confusion. ** Meanwhile, the situation is Iowa has gotten worse: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080614/ap_on_re_us/midwest_flooding Iowa's flooded Cedar River forces 20,000 to flee Also, here's an excerpt from http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080614/NEWS/80614004 Flooding concern spreads; volunteers pour in REGISTER STAFF REPORTS • June 14, 2008 Residents must evacuate; crews working to save property "Any comparison to what happened in '93 is a fair one at this point," he said. "We're going to have to do anything we can to minimize the effects" so that the level of flooding is not as severe as it was 15 years ago. He said residents of the area must leave because officials are not sure they can hold back the water. He didn't know how many hold-outs are in the area. Public works employees were filling manholes with sandbags to keep sewers from backing up. The temporary berm extended from Holcomb to New York on Second Street. The area abuts North High School's baseball and softball fields. Roger Less of the Army Corps of Engineers said the breach was 50 to 100 feet wide and worsening when it was discovered. The breach was next to the lagoon in Riverview Park. "It's bad, but we're not sure how bad it is going to get," Less said. |
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14 Jun 08 - 12:44 PM (#2365866) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Bee Ha! Azizi, I've used metric so much of my life that I find miles hard to visualize now and have to convert them to km., although I'm still comfortable with feet and inches. But yes, that's about the right size. Our local media is doing a poor job because most of it is owned by national corporations, who have slowly stripped local affiliates of personnel and reduced local news programming and reporting. It's frustrating not getting good information on an event in one's own backyard. In miles, this fire is about twelve miles from my home. I can see and smell the smoke, although there's no worry of it coming this way. Winds are very strong still. I have friends in the area who are very likely perfectly safe, but I have no way of finding out without needlessly clogging emergency phone lines. My husband is on the road, on his way home from NB, and I can only hope he hears which routes (all main ones) are closed so he can plan a workaround route. |
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14 Jun 08 - 02:49 PM (#2365951) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Bat Goddess I'm not sure if my brother and his family had to evacuate. They're in Waverly, Iowa. No electricity since last weekend and I know they've lost everything in their basement -- furnace, hot water heater, etc. plus they'll have to replace electrical outlets, etc. They're two blocks from the Cedar River. My mother and sister are in West Allis, west 'burb of Milwaukee (still in Milwaukee County) and, of course, there's been massive flooding around there -- roads closed and under water, manhole covers "exploding" upwards, sewerage as well as water in basements. (Ugh! Water is bad enough!) Just talked to Mom -- the sun is out today, but more rain is expected. It just hasn't stopped raining for over a week. My 88 year old great aunt is planning to drive from Milwaukee to Colby (north central part of the state) -- alone and without a cell phone. There are closed highways on her usual route north to Oshkosh, and I-94 towards Madison is closed because of flooding, too. Her sister who is in a nursing home is having a procedure and she wants to be there. She doesn't see any reason why she should postpone her trip... Linn |
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14 Jun 08 - 06:48 PM (#2366078) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Melissa cell phones with no service can call 911..someone could give her an old one (that would hold charge) and a 'lesson' on how to use it (and have the Location thingy set On) If someone would call the State Patrol and let them know the situation/path (and be Very Nice..understanding that they're asking a favor and that the cops aren't required to help families keep track of their elders) there's a fair chance that they'd keep half an eye open--unobtrusively making sure she was on the road and not wallowing in a puddle. I applaud your aunt, Linn. There aren't nearly enough people who will stick to doing what they know is Right when it's inconvenient for them. Especially when it's a choice between doing what's Right and doing what others want them to do. |
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14 Jun 08 - 07:25 PM (#2366095) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: JohnInKansas MSNBC coverage is mostly about Cedar Rapids Iowa and Des Moines, with isolated mention of other areas affected by flooding. Recent update at Iowa floods force 24,000 from homes Most recent change in the situation: "In Des Moines, levee rupture allows river to pour into area near downtown." Evacuations of low lying areas in Des Moines were "recommended" yesterday due to concern about the levees. From the link above: The Associated Press updated 1:06 p.m. CT, Sat., June. 14, 2008 DES MOINES, Iowa - Days after it rose out of its banks on its way to record flooding in Cedar Rapids, the Cedar River has forced at least 24,000 people from their homes, officials said Saturday. Officials guess it will be four days before the Cedar River drops enough for workers to even begin pumping out water that has submerged more than 400 blocks, threatened the city's drinking supply and forced the evacuation of a downtown hospital. "We're estimating at least a couple of weeks before the flood levels get down right around flood stage and below," said Dustin Hinrichs of the Linn County emergency operations center. The Cedar River crested Friday night at nearly 32 feet, 12 feet higher than the old record set in 1929. A "slide show" in the sidebar at the link gives a pretty good overall look at some of the places flooded, although still pretty much ignoring the Wisconsin, Indiana, and other flood areas. Separate articles have dealt with them; but the other articles haven't been prominent on the news home page. Headline articles yesterday also reported on the California wildfire "threatening 3500 homes" or something like that, but that article also has dropped out of sight today. In local news (my area in Kansas) two tornado touchdowns were reported yesterday - one about 6 miles from the house - but neither hit any occupied areas. The river at Winfield KS is about 6 ft or so above flood stage for the second time in two weeks, but it's fairly normal for that to happen once or twice a year. USGS River Report or Real Time Gage for Winfield, for anyone concerned about family there. John |
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14 Jun 08 - 08:00 PM (#2366100) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Azizi Some might also be interested in this front page dailykos article: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/6/14/12328/5028/49/535904 From Bad to Worse by DarkSyde Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 12:15:00 PM PDT "Residents of Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and surrounding areas are now engaged in a full on fight for their lives struggling against rising water, short supplies, and failing levees"... -snip- Here's an update [with the author's italics] to that article: "As several commenter's have correctly pointed out, this is not in the same league as Katrina. In the Midwest we have dozens of city blocks and hundreds of acres affected. Katrina flattened thousands of square miles. That's little consolation to the residents in those flooded regions, but it is an important distinction". |
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14 Jun 08 - 09:43 PM (#2366134) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Janie How bad is the flooding expected to be downstream on the Missouri and Mississippi? Thanks for the link to the slide show, John. My heart goes out to all those many people across the midwest. |
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14 Jun 08 - 10:07 PM (#2366141) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Rapparee I'll be talking with my brother, who lives on the Upper River about 180 miles north of St. Louis, tomorrow. But from what I've gleaned so far the flooding is expected to surpass 1993 in both crest and flow. I don't know about the Rock and Illinois Rivers, nor about the Fabius and some of the other Missouri tributaries. |
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14 Jun 08 - 10:13 PM (#2366144) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: JohnInKansas Azizi - For rough - but usually close enough - calculations, one kilometer is 5/8 of a mile, and one mile is 8/5 km. Multiply miles by 8, then divide by 5 to get km. (The number of km is always larger than the number of miles.) Multiply km x 5 and then divide by 8 to get miles. (The number of miles is always smaller than the number of km.) Re the area covered, the link (where the slide show was found) has an inset map of the current flood damage areas, and it actually is nearly as large as the central flood area from Katrina. Fortunately for the Midwest, there are only isolated areas with extreme wind damage to compound the flooding. When planning your September shopping, it should be remembered also that it's not necessary to have a "flood" to have substantial crop damage. Areas where US cereal crop failures are already a fact are quite vast, and food prices for this growing season will undoubtedly rise significantly - with corresponding losses in income for very large numbers of farms. John |
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14 Jun 08 - 10:33 PM (#2366154) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Alice We had a big snowstorm earlier in the week here at the headwaters of the Missouri. Now the temps are in the 70's and the snowpack is melting. Ground is saturated, as we've had lots of rain before the snow. That water is all headed to the midwest in the Missouri river and Yellowstone river. |
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14 Jun 08 - 10:37 PM (#2366158) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Melissa Thanks Rapaire and Alice..that's the kind of information I've been wanting. I'm in North Central Mo, getting rain every few days..ground is saturated. In 93, my town was isolated off and on. High ground, but roads between here and groceries were covered. Sounds like I ought to start thinking about doing a little bit of shopping. |
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14 Jun 08 - 10:37 PM (#2366159) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Rapparee There has been some minor flooding around here, but nothing to speak of. Dunno how the Snake and Salmon are doing, but I think I would have heard something if there were problems. |
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14 Jun 08 - 11:27 PM (#2366171) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Janie Good luck, Melissa. And hope your brother is also on high ground Rap. Wish everyone was. John, that map you refer to was pretty astonishing. And that was just Iowa, as I recall. Hard times are about to get harder. Soon, a poor man won't have the price of dried beans and cornmeal. I wonder what it would take in terms of acreage for a family of 4 to grow enough corn and beans to feed themselves? |
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14 Jun 08 - 11:39 PM (#2366173) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Melissa If the family was eating their garden (instead of selling it for money to buy food) it wouldn't need to be even an acre, Janie. My friend canned enough greenbeans from two rows (appx 15ft long) in one season to last two years with frequent eating. A row of tomatoes gave her plenty to can as juice and salsa with enough beyond that to foist off on everybody who was interested in having some. It's not the size of the garden, you know...it's how you use it. |
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14 Jun 08 - 11:46 PM (#2366174) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Janie The photographs I've been seeing on news sites the past several days of people, kids in particular, playing in flood waters, have been really disturbing. Can their parents not know how contaminated floodwater usually is? Get thee to a tetanus shot! |
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15 Jun 08 - 12:13 AM (#2366177) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Janie I was thinking more in terms of dried staples. Field corn to grind into meal, and pintos or the like. (I guess leatherbritches would serve, also, though I don't know if there are enough seeds in most modern varieties of greenbeans to balance out the protein with cornmeal.) I'm thinking mainly of food combinations for protein that don't require special equipment. I work with mostly indigent folks who don't have the price of the canning jars and lids, but who could dry corn and beans (and tomatoes!) to get them through the winter. Because I live in a rural area, most of these folks do grow substantial gardens that keep the carbs and fresh veggies coming in season. But they don't have, and can not afford canning supplies, and most do not preserve much from their gardens to get them through winter. They buy staples like dried beans, flour and cornmeal, which until recently have been cheap, and could be bought for less than what it cost to raise them. They may try to stock a freezer, but it is not unusual for their electricity to be disconnected once or twice a year for non-payment, and so they are likely to lose anything they have frozen. Drying food is the most economical and sure method for them. Who knows? Maybe the time is coming when that will be true for many of us with currently moderate incomes. These heavy rains and floods, aside from the immediate toll on the lives of those in the midst of the waters, are going to have a big impact on already rising prices of basic foods. |
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15 Jun 08 - 01:09 AM (#2366181) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Melissa Do you use the Foxfire books to help learn/relearn stuff like that, Janie? |
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15 Jun 08 - 04:43 PM (#2366467) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: GUEST,Mike in DC Wikipedia seems to be on top of the situation in Iowa. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Iowa_Flood_of_2008 Mike |
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15 Jun 08 - 05:16 PM (#2366486) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Bat Goddess Talked to my sister (in Milwaukee) this afternoon and she said that the second crest of the Cedar River in Wavrely, Iowa didn't reach my brother's basement. They weren't evacuated, but they are still without utilities -- electricity and gas. My sister-in-law is staying with friends on higher ground -- my brother has been going there for showers, etc. I guess inspectors are coming around tomorrow to check to see whether utilities can be turned back on. As for my great aunt, well, she's a German -- and you can always tell a German...but you can't tell them much! She's been a bit of a pioneer right from the get go -- she worked in Japan right after World War II. Linn |
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16 Jun 08 - 02:21 PM (#2367104) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: PoppaGator I'm especially worried for the people (homeowners) without flood insurance. Regular homeowners insurance does not cover damage from flooding. There is federally subsidized flood insurance available at very affordable prices, but most people outside the most flood-prone areas do not ususally buy any. Indeed, most folks don't even know about it. If you own a home in a "flood plain" (as defined by FEMA), and if you have a mortgage, your lender will require that you maintain flood insurance. If you own your home outright (even in the lowest-lying areas), no one is forcing you to maintain ANY kind of insurance coverage. I saw an interview a few mornings ago with the couple who owned a very large and very new "dream house" on a riverbank in Wisconsin Dells, WI, a house which appeared repeatedly on national TV being completely washed away, down the riverbank and right on downstream. Their location was NOT on the list of flood-prone areas, so they (very understandably) had no flood insurance. They lost their entire house and all its contents, and the homeowners policy they've been paying all along won't do them much, if any, good. They're screwed, and they're not the only ones. Those of us who are still trying to recover from the 2005 flood in New Orleans and environs have plenty of empathy for these most recent flood victims. There are differences between our situations, but the similarities are the most important thing. I have no doubt that when it's time for volunteer groups to pitch in and help to jump-start the recovery up there, our area will be well-represented. |
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17 Jun 08 - 01:36 PM (#2367954) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: KB in Iowa It is bad, I can tell you that. I live (on high ground) about halfway between the Cedar and Iowa rivers, both of which crested higher than in '93. The Iowa (in Iowa City and points south) is still higher and isn't expected to drop much for about a week. The water is coming over the spillway of the reservior and until that stops there will be major flooding. Interstate 80 was closed from Friday until Monday afternoon where it (normally) crosses the Cedar. Many of the roads that closed will not open for weeks at best. In some places, even where bridges are fine now, there is no way to get to the bridge because the roadway is gone. Don't know how long this video will be up, small town paper and all. It is a home video of Highway 6 about 25 miles east of Iowa City. The Cedar River just took out part of the road. For the local take on the situation: Iowa City newspaper Cedar Rapids newspaper It will definitely be a challenge to clean this up. |
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17 Jun 08 - 01:59 PM (#2367981) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Donuel 2 500 year floods in a row. A 57 year old Cedar Rapids resident was arrested, cuffed and charged with use of a WMD and threatening a national guard/policeman with deadly force when he tried to drive his pick up truck around a check point and the officials ran in front of him several times to block his attempt to check on his home. |
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17 Jun 08 - 03:32 PM (#2368072) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Rapparee From the "Quincy [Illinois] Herald-Whig": HANNIBAL, Mo. -- Mississippi River floodwaters overflowed the Union Township Drainage District levee south of LaGrange Monday afternoon, engulfing the Roger Tiemann home and Wakonda State Park. In all about 6,200 acres are now under water. "It simply just topped the levee," said John Schaeffer, the drainage district's secretary. Workers were removing the pump house engines when the breach happened. Schaeffer said water had been flowing over the clay levees at tributary streams. "We thought it would stand at 28.5 feet and the gauge was at 29 feet when it went," he said. Schaeffer said there were no injuries. He said the Tiemann family, whose home was off Route B about 1.5 miles from the river, had already moved out with their belongings. He said Beilstein Camper Sales were moving what was left of its trailers from the site off U.S. 61. The Union levee also was breached in 1993. Kyle Scott, superintendent at Wakonda State Park, said about 90 percent of the park's 1,050 acres are under water. He said his crews had been helping with sandbagging efforts on the levee. He was checking damage to the park's docks this morning. "It's gonna mean a lot of clean up for us," he said. A small private drainage district north of Mo. 168 owned by Randy Klocke also succumbed to rising water. The district protects bottomland from the North River, west of BASF between the chemical plant and the bluffs. It encompasses several hundred acres. Sandbag crews were pulled off the South River levee Monday afternoon after a weak spot was discovered where the river was eroding part of the sand structure. The levee was still holding this morning. "We dropped 13 inches last night," said David Marquart, who is heading up efforts for the South River Drainage District. On Monday afternoon, the river reached within about three feet of the four-foot extension added to the levee. Crews have been working 15 hour days since Thursday to shore up the levee. The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers built it up to a 27-foot level after the 1993 flood. "The lowest end (of the levee) has sagged," Marquart said, adding that the levee is too saturated for crews to work safely near it or on top of it. "The whole thing is like a quagmire. It's (soft) like a sponge. The base itself is sloughing off. The back of the levee is just giving way. If it breaks at that point it's probably within 1,000 feet of where it broke in '93." Marquart said the two sites have no correlation other than the quantity and force of the water involved in the two floods. When the levee broke in 1993, about 10,000 acres of mostly farm land was inundated. "We are not giving up yet," Marquart said. One of the three engines have been pulled from the drainage district's pump house. "Everything's been pulled out of the bottoms," Marquart said. That includes dozens of trailers at the Bayview Camper Park on the eastern side of Mo. 168, just north of the pump house. Many of the campers have been temporarily parked at the Hannibal Middle School parking lot. Bleigh Construction, where Marquart serves as foreman, is on the west side of Mo. 168 and will also flood if the levee breaks. He said owner Tom Bleigh has "really been good to us out here." Bleigh has provided manpower and equipment. Bross Construction and other area landowners have also donated equipment and manpower. Workers on site have numbered between 175 and 200 daily. Thirty members of the National Guard's 1438 Multirole Bridge Company of Macon arrived Sunday to assist and Marquart said on Monday other volunteers arrived from the surrounding area. One of those was Julie Rolsen of Hannibal. She and husband John and their son Sean have each taken turns in recent days sandbagging. "It's just what you do, what everybody needs to do. If everybody in Hannibal works one, one full day there'd be plenty of help," she said. But Rolsen acknowledged being so close to the rapidly rising Mississippi River was a bit unnerving, especially Monday afternoon when the crews started coming back in. "When they're bringing back the sandbags and the guys come in wearing life jackets, you know the waters are getting deep," she said. Hannibal is about 20 miles south of Quincy and yes, it's the Mark Twain town. I drove from St. Louis to Hannibal in mid-May and there was flooding then, from both the Missouri and the Mississippi Rivers. |
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17 Jun 08 - 03:37 PM (#2368078) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Donuel Meanwhile China has evacuated one million people due to floods from rain and new lakes formed by earthquake. God knows what Burma is like now. The frozen run off from the HImalya mountains is nearly gone and sudden flash floods will soon replace the steady rivers in India. Is there some sort of radical liberal climate change going on? |
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17 Jun 08 - 04:07 PM (#2368117) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: PoppaGator I have no doubt that, among the apocalyptically-minded, there is a growing conviction that these days are the Last Days. So many catastophes at once! Among the more scientifically-minded, I certainly hope that there is a similarly growing conviction that it is well past time for us humans to significantly change our ways |
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17 Jun 08 - 04:22 PM (#2368133) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: KB in Iowa Among the more scientifically-minded, I certainly hope that there is a similarly growing conviction that it is well past time for us humans to significantly change our ways Amen to that. |
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17 Jun 08 - 04:27 PM (#2368139) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Rapparee That happened to me years ago. Oh, wait, change. I thought you said lost. Ne'er mind. |
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17 Jun 08 - 07:07 PM (#2368294) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Bill D When I spent a year working on a special EPA project the year EPA was created,I saw a film about land use. Part of the film was an explanation of flood plains and the associated risks. There were colored maps showing 20/50/100/500 etc...year areas, along with suggestions for what NOT to build where. One of the horror stories was the areas around St. Louis where river bottoms were being 'reclaimed' to create industrial parks and other commercial construction, along with some housing. You see how much attention was paid to that expert's predictions. I hate seeing so many folks suffer, but MAYBE someone with influence will get the point this time. I have been flooded out once..(New Orleans, 1947) and had water in the streets near my house in Wichita in 1952? (waded thru my paper route). I am now where I doubt high water is EVER likely to get me. We need regulations PREVENTING folks from building in certain areas....even if THEY take the responsibility, they need to be housed, rescued...etc...when it all goes wrong! |
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17 Jun 08 - 09:49 PM (#2368392) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Janie I was in a bad flood in West Virginia in 1985. We lost nearly all of our possessions, but it was rental property, so we were in a good position to move on. I've bought two houses since that time. And the first thing I said the realtor each time was, "unless it's above the 500 year flood plain, I'm not interested." In flat country, though, it might be pretty tough to find land above the 500 year plain. |
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17 Jun 08 - 10:02 PM (#2368397) Subject: RE: BS: Floods in Iowa/Other US Midwest States From: Bill D Even in flat country, there is almost always a place either above or away from the worst spots. A couple of small towns have been completely relocated after 2-3 floods. Obviously, many towns were built before data was available, and some chances must be taken. What is needed is to gradually restrict RE-building after floods in the high-risk areas...and adding serious flood control projects where risks must be weighed against needs. Yes...this implies similar restrictions about building expensive homes in fire-prone sites or on unstable hillsides. |