TIME: Iowa's Floods: A Midwestern Katrina?

[maddezmom]

(CEDAR RAPIDS, 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 20,000 people from their homes, officials said Saturday.

Related 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.

County Supervisor Linda Langston estimated the number forced from their homes at 20,000 and said that figure could rise as officials got a better grasp of how many neighborhoods were flooded. Cedar Rapids has a population of about 120,000.

more:http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1814659,00.html?xid=rss-topstories

[CoffeeCat]

1. The city's drinking water will be gone in 3-4 days!

This article indicates that Cedar Rapids, Iowa---has a 3-4-day supply of water left.

The current water plan is operating at 25 percent, due to the floods. People are being
asked to curb their usage. Based on the current usage--even though people have drastically
cut their water use, the city could very well be without ANY water.

I'd say that's pretty serious.

Here's the short article. http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/19941844.html

[kestrel91316]

2. I am waiting for Bush to say, "Let them drink bottled water."

[lib2DaBone]

3. Barbara Bush......

"I don't want to trouble my beautiful mind with it."

[DogPoundPup]

4. BELIEVE IT OR NOT - FEMA Director just said 630,000MRE's are on their way (had not been ordered yet)

This is the town where I was born - 13 miles up the road from us.
FEMA, National Guard, all the Congresspeople, the Governor, etc., just had a Press Conference - There are now 25,000 people evacuated - One hospital completed evacuation last night - 220 patients - as the water crept up in the lobby - 600 volunteers arrived to sand-bag while the ambulances roared in and out taking people to neighboring towns - travelling hundreds of miles out of the way because MOST roads in and out of the city are closed because several bridges have collapsed, the E-W TRains are sitting on the tracks, Quaker Oats is at least 6' under water...closed indefinitely -

BELIEVE IT OR NOT - FEMA Director just said 630,000 MRE's are on their way (had not been ordered yet, but he was playing it safe) and over 1,000,000 bottles of water are ON SITE and they are about to announce distribution points........(THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON for over a week.......)

The river is to crest this afternoon 20 FEET ABOVE FLOOD LEVEL - No one ever imagined this could happen - One RR Track Bridge was honkered down with RR cars filled with rocks and bricks to keep the Bridge from floating off, and instead the weight of the cars collapsed the bridge........Won't be any RRs running thru here soon.
Now there is danger of those RR cars floating downstream and endangering the pilings of other bridges. The controls for the Electricity in this area are all in Cedar Rapids and their electronic systems went out about 3 days ago so we have intermittant electricity - and if it REALLY goes out - they have to walk the lines in 3 counties to figure out where the problem might be.

THAT is just Cedar Rapids - Iowa City is half-under water - University of Iowa is closed - water creeping into the basements of many of the buildings - student housing flooded out.........Cars, boats, junk streaming by ......

Several small towns on the Cedar and Iowa Rivers have been completely evacuated - one had turned off the natural gas lines, but there was a leak and downtown totally blew up and is demolished.

There is only one way out of Mt. Vernon (we're 13 miles E of Cedar Rapids) - the Cedar River runs about 3 miles due South of my house and curves around in several places - all bridges are closed so you have to go NORTH about 40 miles, then WEST and South and Pray!

HORRID storms all week - today is clear - the storms had the most horrific Thunderbeings and Lightening I have EVER seen - anywhere! (And I've been IN some storms in Oklahoma, Key West, Virginia Beach - remnants of Hurricanes in Atlanta)
NOTHING like this - and they just keep coming - See the satellite pic below - LOOKS like a Hurricane on land - and that is what is COMING - there have been several.

My sister just called and said cabins on the river down the road from us have all washed away and they just took the bridge out in the little town on the river 4 miles down the road.

Gotta go do my Rense work before the lights go again....

They expect that the river will not really subside for about 3 weeks, best they know.
Iowa River is in same shape as Cedar and, of course, all the rain and overflowing/flooded creeks and streams are washing out the corn, soy beans and wheat. Don't expect any crop harvests from Iowa this year! Grain market futures are already reflecting the losses of crops by UP UP UPPING the prices of those commodities.

Our little town will not have supplies for the little market - which was STOCKED to the brim yesterday, shelves almost empty today......- until Sunday or Monday IF the big bridges hold up....While standing in line yesterday, I heard the store manager's conversation on the phone with the truckers who were trying to get in and could not.

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http://www.fourwinds10.com/siterun_data/environment/weather_and_climate/news.php?q=1213401384