Iowa Floods

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laundryshark

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 27, 2006
Messages
1,224
Location
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
They are especially massive disasters in the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City areas, along with numerous smaller communities. As for me? I live on higher ground, nowhere near any flood prone spots. KCRG is doing constant live broadcasts, including guided boat tours of the flooded downtown Cedar Rapids location. Visit KCRG.com.--Laundry Shark

http://www.kcrg.com/
 
Back in the late 80's, I was a Night Manager at the Iowa Memorial Union at the U of I in Iowa City. It is *so* close to the river, and the basement is full of mechanical and electrical equipment, so I can't even begin to imagine what it will take just to bring that one building back up to operations, let alone the rest of the region.

Thankfully, both Mercy Hospital and the UI Hospital (the region's largest hospital and trauma center) is located on high ground.

This is a massive, unprecedented event. I feel awful for the people of eastern Iowa, whether they are flooded out or not. At least it doesn't seem like there has been much, if any, loss of life.
 
I am very glad to hear you are doing okay down there - I've seen and heard horror stories already from the Cedar Rapids region. I can't believe the 3rd Ave bridge is just GONE. Stay safe,

Ben
 
I am glad you are safe as well. Do you have provisions for fresh water, food, etc.?

Also, can you suggest any charitable local organizations to which members can choose to support directly?
 
Definitely Worse than 1993

The Cedar River has crested several feet higher than in 1993. The extent of the floods are beyond even what they term the "500 year flood plain." The local or regional chapters of the Red Cross and the Salvation Army are always good sources to support. As for me? Not lacking in basic essentials. Had to transfer my drug prescriptions from the East Side Wal-Mart to the West Side store, which is nowhere near the flood zone. I normally did not use this store due to the lack of access via public transportation. However, the city buses are out of service indefinitely, as their vehicles are now used for transporting emergency personnel, and others that are assisting with the post flood cleanup effort and rescue *wherever there might still be dry ground.* As you might have guessed, much of this work is being done by boat in the downtown and nearby residential areas. To find any local and regional charitable entities of interest, visit some of our media Websites, such as KCRG.com, KWWL.com, KGAN.com, and Gazetteonline.com. Since the only way for me to reach the West Side Wal-Mart is through a ride, I have arranged to do just that after church tomorrow morning. In fact, the gentleman who has offered has himself become a flood victim. No other persons from our church have stepped up to the plate. Hopefully, his home won't have too much water damage for recovery. By the way, since our church is most likely heavily into helping flood victims, you are more than welcome to support it through your thoughts, prayers, and material contributions if you wish. Many, many thanks and God bless all of you for your deepest concerns for our health, provision, safety, and well-being in this region. Please see link below.--Laundry Shark

http://www.crvineyard.org/
 
I know that unless you are right in the center of all of this that there is no way one can even imagine what you have all been through. I am just thankful that you are all safe. Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers.
 
Has Des Moines Been Affected?

I will be in West Des Moines from July 7 - 11th on business and I've already booked my flight. My contact there says that the downtown area has seen some flooding, but that West Des Moines is dry.

I hope everyone is okay.

Bryan
 
The flood and tornado damage in this are is just unbelieveable.

Now the Mississippi is causing problems as water is moving south. They are trying to move sand bags south as the water reaches those areas as well.

My heart goes out to anyone in the affected areas, once again if it were not for volunteers, churches and other community groups these folks would not have help. The goverment has been slow to respond from a state level as well as the federal level. The church that I belong to has purchased a whole semi load of bleach to be sent down to the Cedar Rapids area.

I have plenty of vacation time, so if a work team is formed, I plan on taking my part in the clean up efforts.

Morgan
 
Bryan - you shouldn't have any issues if your business is out in West Des Moines. The picture below is actually taken inside an office building for Alliant Industries, located downtown Cedar Rapids. The photo just scratches the surface as to what horror a flood can cause on the inside - where it counts. I'm certain that some business downtown Des Moines probably have similar issues, and the rest of the affected towns along the Iowa/Cedar/Des Moines/Mississippi River.

This stuff is just nasty guys -

Ben

6-19-2008-12-36-26--swestoyz.jpg
 
Concerning Ben's photo--I always thought that a broken fill hose caused a mess in a cellar, but that's nothing compared to this. I remember one customer had a hose break, and it drenched her old recipe books from her restaurant. She was drying pages one at a time. How long does it take to get rid of the dampness and musty smell from a cellar?
Fred
 
It takes a loooong time...

Indeed it does. Fred - you are so right, a small break of a fresh water line or a water softener line is tiny in comparison to the physical damage the river has done. Just imagine all the petroleum, farm chemicals, fertilizers, and toxic materials that are in the water of this photo. These admin offices on the first floor of the Alliant Energy building downtown Cedar Rapids look like EVERY basement affected by this (thousands of homes by now in all the states affected). From first hand experience of helping with the clean up - it is a horrible situation and will take a considerable amount of time (= $$$) to bring back to the way it was before June 10th, 2008.

Ben

6-19-2008-14-08-19--swestoyz.jpg
 
Last photo. Walking down the hallway - on the way to the water cooler.

EVERYTHING in this photo will need to be disposed of. Cabinets, carpet, plants, posters of mission statements, partitions for cubicles, computers, Cathy comics, you name it - everything. I cannot smell normally but with the little that I do have left - NASTY.

I am counting my blessings this did not impact myself or my family first hand.

I like these photos because normally we see how it has affected our basements - which is not any better or worse. But to affect a possible office or cubicle that we work and sit at everyday - think about how this also affects commerce and jobs of hundreds of people.

Ben

6-19-2008-14-23-53--swestoyz.jpg
 
Ben those pictures seem almost unreal. I am just thankful that you and your family were safe but my heart goes out to those that were not so lucky.
 
Wow ....

Thanks for sharing the pictures.

I'm speechless. I can't even begin to imagine the horror of it all. (Sigh)

Mike
 
know what you are going through....really

All of you guys in the flood waters and tornadoes have my sympathy. In 1972 my home town expierenced a devestating flash flood that killed 238 people in less than four hours.My entire family was in the waters that night.

This was a result of snow piling up until June first and then 17 inches of rain in two hours just nine days later. The dam on the west side of town broke and a 50 foot wall of water moving 35 miles an hour came crashing through the town. till this day I havent the words to really drive home what we survivors went through or the aftermath that followed.I do have; as many of my family members have; scars and marks on or bodies that are constant reminders from that night 36 years ago. At the time this was the second worst flood in US history second only to the Johnstown Flood in the 1800s

I am so happy to hear that you guys are doing some of the things that we did. Nieghbor and nieghbor pulling together. In our flood the day before the establishment and the hippies were busy hating and protesting each other. By morning they were side by side without issues. for the longest time afterwards prejudice seemed to have disappeared and still is only tolerated lightly here.

Today we have a beautiful green way and park system where the flood cut its path. This town ,now some 70,000 people but then only about 25,000 is still a strong,strong community and I think thats due to the fact that we faced such a tragedy way back when.

There are a lot of new people here, they cant comprehend what took place, you cant look at the little creek thats here and know that it had been for four hours a raging twisting monster killing and destroying whatever was unfortunate enough to be in its path but because of what is told to them they have a great respect for it and its survivors. You may think what youre going through now is tough but in the long run you will have a strength thats unbelieveable.Youre community will come back with muscle like never before.In youre personal lives you will be able to face controversy much better than most.

Again GoD Bless and please be safe. MY thoughts and prayers are with all of you.If any of you in the water need to vent hit me up. I will gladly listen.Lastly know that better days are on thier way to you.
 
Indirectly I had to deal with the RC flood of 1972.My Stepmom and Dad were in it-they were trying to leave their house and were caught in Dad's truck-they escapted the truck before it was washed away and each one spent the night in a tree.I was on the "Missing" list until I called in.I was in Wash DC at the time visiting my Mom.I missed the flood by a week-left before it hit.My Dads home was totally destroyed by the flood.It was at the foot of Canyon Lake Dam-when the dam ruptured-the home was leveled.Saw the aftermath when I got home-unbeleivable!The creek that went thru our backyard was still there along with a large elm tree.At that time only had the clothes and possesions that were in my suitcase I packed to go to Moms place.Qualified for the State's $50 clothing allowance.Ened up with another suitcase to carry the things home in-only to a HUD trailer.Was going to college at the time.
 
Other folks I was thankful for during that flood were my Mom's freinds and neighbors-they gave me clothes and things to use.Was able to replace my wardrobe from them and the SD clothing allowance.Now,can you imagine how much clothing $50 would buy today!
 
I had never heard of this tragic flood, but I found a site with some pictures of the aftermath. In the photo on the right under the heading "Damage to Personal Property," there is this information about the concrete silo in the picture: it is a USGS survey gauge which registered a maximum water flow of 2600 cubic feet per second in its 20 year history. On June 9, 1972, discharge at this point was 31,200 cubic feet per second.

Flash floods cause more deaths than any other weather-related event, but there are many dangerous weather situations. I hope everyone who does not have a radio with a weather alert feature will strongly consider acquiring one. And, please, if you are considering living anywhere near even a seasonal creek or a bone-dry ditch, check on its flood plain, the elevation of your proposed property and live far above it. Live on the hill, not at its bottom. In the Spring of 1963, parts of Atlanta were hit with flash flooding and I mean many more areas than that flooding favorite Peachtree Battle Creek. There was no forecast of flooding rains before we went to bed, but hell broke loose during the night. Among the many people awakened by the noise of the storm were friends who went down to their family room to see if water was leaking in. Luckily one of them opened the draperies on the sliding glass door just in time to see the frame start to bend from the weight of the water flowing 7 feet deep across it. They just made it to the stairs before the door gave way and in an instant their house was uninhabitable, but they could have been swept away. At least we now have communication pathways to send out warnings. Please be careful and stay safe. Reading the survivor stories here just hammers home how precious and fragile all life is.

http://sd.water.usgs.gov/projects/1972flood/photos.html
 
My Dad and Stepmom live in a home they built in the Hills on the other side of town where they used to live.And they live HIGHER now-high enough if any of the dams in the area break they will not get flooded.Now the worry is occasional wildfires.They have an "evacuation kit" and a fire hose and pump.And another "survivor" of that 1972 flood was a new 1972 Maytag washer that was bought a week before the flood.Remember vividly the day we all brought it home and installed it-My Stepmom was so pleased-the Maytag replaced an older KN washer.(The KN had a fat black RS agitator)Dad just couldn't keep the KN going anymore.Well that Maytag washer was found after the flood-and the local Maytag dealer rebuilt it!and it was used for about 25 yrs after the flood.The cabinet looked beat up-but the machine worked fine.The washer and a beat up rifle my Dad has reminds us of that event.The flooded Maytag is gone now-but he still has that rifle.I used to hunt deer with it.The stock is beat up-but it still shoots just fine.and is used for hunting today.The flooded Maytag was replaced by another-in the early 90's-last of the good Maytags.
 
And as the clean-up begins-----

there will be plenty of vintage appliances headed to the krusher. Many old barns, garages, basements,storage sheds and buildings will be cleared of a lot of relics from days gone by.

I remember (in Gulfport, MS.)literally huge mountains of washers/dryers/dishwashers/refrigs., etc. waiting for the krusher from the Katrina clean-up. The mechanical claws used to remove them from the curbside, pinching and smashing them up----not like the minor "moving trauma" we encounter so much with the usual appliance delivery people.

Because of our interest in preserving these old treasures they seem important to us, but those people who have lost everyting certainly don't see things that way.

Imagine all the abandoned pets and livestock now wandering around! Heartbreaking!
All the uninsured people who will now have to start from scratch to re-build their lives----just when Bush's ill-begotten money-pit of an invasion into Iraq is finally crashing our economy. (Not to mention what he and his big-oil cronies have done.) All the lost jobs and businesses----it all could not have come at a worse time in our nation's history. But, hey, Bush came for a visit and flew over everything so I'm sure everyone will feel inspired now.

Oh well---the list goes on and on. I wish them well.

Hopefully some of the flooded-out vintage appliances will make it onto Craigslist or E-Bay where they can be salvaged and restored.
 
And, sadly, unless you have flood insurance, flood damage is not covered. Many of these people were in areas that never flooded before and were not required to have it so they lost everything.

I don't think that appliances that were caught in that witch's brew of filthy water would be candidates for Craig's list unless someone went to the trouble to really clean them inside and out before listing them. Otherwise they would toxic and pathogenic to have sitting around.
 
thx tomturbomatic and tolivac

totourbomatic.....wow i didnt know that site existed. one can surely see what went on by those pictures. Two of them hit me hard, the first one is the one that they show the debries where a lot of bodies were found. My uncle found a two year old boy in such a pile. In the background you can see some shingle sided condominiums. Two of my brothers and my grandfather did all that shingleing to those places

The other one is the trailor house, pretty much resembles what ours looked like the morning after.Im not sure it isnt ours, just taken from the other side of the pictures I have. I can not believe my brothers and i walked away alive from that, so many people around us died that night.

tolivac.......hahha 50s bucks...Id forgotten that. You could use it for anything made from cloth material so we bought sheets and rugs too. We got an SBA loan for new housing but we too spent a lil time in a one of those hud trailors.Most of my moms family who lost thier houses had one and they all had the same floor plans and the same colors and appliances.Actrually my mom kept her appliances (out of the Hud trailor) up until 1984.Avacado green rules!!!

We too got a GE Flooded washer and dryer set from Fischer furniture (which still exists). They said theyd gone through them and they were safe sooooooo we had those too until 84 and the washer is stuill around at af amily friends house and still in use.

I laughed at your parental units in the tree. My oldest brother spent the night in a tree. My parents got stuck in Piedmont, my oldest brother (then just 21) was suppose to be babysitting us hit the road as soon as mom and dad were out of the trailor court, He went to the Alibi Bar (rememeber that) and before he knew it he and the waitress were floating down Omaha on top of her car.He grabbed her and grabbed a tree branch and they crawled up into what appeared to be a safer situation, one of my aunts was the lady who was rescued by the national guard the next morning. She spent the night on top of the safeway sign. Seems a lil funny now but think of the raging killing water below and the crazy insane lightening above.Plus my aunt said every time a house or a car would hit that safe way sign the whole thing richocheted all over the place.

you mentioned the missing list. My mom and dad were not able to get back into town so my brother had them listed as missing but becuse of a mix up what came across the airways was that my parents children had been found dead.My parents heard this ofcorse on the car radio as they were trying desprately to get back into Rapid city. I cannot imagine thier torture.

I would love to chat with your dad. I am so happy you avoided the waters that night. You were very lucky things worked out for you as they had but I know you saw enough to make it just as real to you and leave you with the same devistation.The clean up of rapid lasted a good ten years.Ive been through a lot of things in this crazy life but I think the strength in who I am and what I have become as an adult is largely shaped by what occured that night.Plus great parenting!
 

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