Thursday, June 12, 2008

The Drowning Of Iowa


Iowa, or much of it, is under water. We've all heard of "One Hundred Year Floods". I had never before heard of a "Five Hundred Year Flood", which is what this is being called. If I were to drive a few blocks down the road to the bottom of our hill, I would drive into the maelstrom in the bottom picture above... and the real flood has not even begun! The Coralville dam, seen at the top on June 10th, is predicted to overflow by five feet of water (over the lower wing dam on the right). Our house is at the top of the wooded hill seen to the right of the dam, about a half mile away. The roads and bridges around us are already closing, the sandbags are breaching... and it's raining again. Pray for Iowa.


(pictures from the Iowa City Press-Citizen of June tenth, for which I thank them)
Press-Citizen
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Comments:
The news is heartbreaking, Don. The weather is certainly odd ... many are out of power here since Sunday (including son, husband and daughter's office) since 'straight line winds' downed many huge trees and power lines. Both your beautiful Iowa and you are in my prayers.
 
I'm sorry this is happening. Floods are scary things. When Houston got hit by Tropical storm Allison a few years back, we had areas that had gotten almost 40 inches of rain in 3 days.

Be careful and watchful. Water can come up scarily fast.
 
Oh my goodness, how terrible for the owners of those properties. How heart rendering to watch your neighbours' houses under water. Do you think your property is at a high enough elevation to be spared the crest of the floodwaters? I hope your property is alright. I can't imagine what is involved in the cleanup.
 
Very sad news from all over the midwest. Thoughts and prayers are with you and yours. I remember helping with sand bagging the year I was in Decorah. We spent a very nervous and sleep deprived couple of weeks. 500 year flood sounds very frightening --Curmudgeon
 
How is your garden / land fairing? Wil lit be ok? Last night, here in Lincoln, we got over 4" of rain in about an hour as tornado sirens went off. Wettest spring in the five years I've lived here--very unlike Nebraska (we usually have grassland fire advisories from April to October, but I've not seen one issued yet this year).
 
All the stories we've been covering the last few weeks are storms, tornadoes and flooding, here in central and southern Indiana and elsewhwere. The pictures are amazing and the stories of loss are heartbreaking. I hope you are safe on your Iowa hilltop and that you may be of help and comfort to those around you.
 
Joey, Nancy, Northern Shade, weed, Benjamin, and Babs... Thanks for your comnments and concerns. Fortunately our place is on a hill, well above the floodwaters, but the bad news is, we're sort of an island, for the flooding (which doesn't even crest here until Tuesday) is absolutely devastating the cities. It is of unimaginable, almost biblical proportions. The heart of these cities is just being destroyed, and it will take many years to return to anything approaching normal.When you get three feet of rain in three weeks, there is just not much you can do.
don
 
Name the towns and cities in Iowa, and you'll not find anyone unaffected. Biblical proportions indeed and we must be reaching out.
Glad you are safe. We had a somewhat close call last night. I'm feeling spared and grateful.
 
Nancy & Shady... It is going to be so bad here in Iowa City. they say we are going to be the worst hit of all; downtown is already under water and the crest doesn't even get here for four more days.

Don
 
We aren't even supposed to crest until tomorrow here in Davenport.
 
I survived the flood, I just hope there isn't a 250 year flood that will be here in a few years......
 
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