| Flooding
We have had nothing but rain for.... well, quite some time and the midden's now hitting the windmill. We have rivers at record levels, it looks like Iowa City's going to be underwater tomorrow, the dam on on Saylorville Lake can't keep up and it's expected to over the emergency spillway in the next couple of days, putting downtown Des Moines at risk, because the lake feeds into the Des Moines River. The Raccoon River, which runs through Des Moines, too, has closed several major roads. A couple of towns that were hit by tornadoes have had insult added to injury because they are now waist-deep in water. Iowa State University and the rest of the city of Ames are dealing with the high Skunk River. Mason City is without water right now because the water treatment plant is flooded. I drive about 27 miles from my town up to downtown Des Moines to work and some of the rivers along the way have turned farm fields into lakes. Water is lapping at the shoulder of one highway I travel on. I wonder if I'll even be able to pass through tomorrow. I'm lucky, though. I live on the third floor, so it's going to have to be one heck of a flood to hurt our apartment.
I never thought this would happen again. I was around here for the floods of '93 when this state turned into the 6th Great Lake, and we spent 12 days without water. I'm wondering about those of you in other flooded states. How bad it is and is it affecting you much?  |