Here we are again, staring down yet another severe weather line heading our way ... And today I read and heard that in terms of severity, the flood of 2008 may be worse than what happened in 1993. Lest I may have led anyone to think it's confined just to Des Moines, I'd like to emphasize that this is a truly devastating Statewide event. Just tonight, 4 Boys were killed by a tornado at a Boy Scout camp in western Iowa, with quite a few other injured. Cedar Falls and Waterloo are hanging on hoping that sandbagging will prevent serious flooding in the cities ... Cedar Rapids has areas under water, and perhaps of most concern in the NE part of the state is the dam in Iowa City, which last I heard was teetering at the very edge of going over. And there are numerous smaller towns in the same situation ... Governor Chet Culver declared 53 of our 99 counties as disaster areas, while also noting that no county has not had some kind of damage from the rains and flooding.
One of our more immediate concerns closer to home revolves around whether the Water Works will flood as it did in 1993, thus cutting off the city's water supply. And in downtown Des Moines, they've been sandbagging for several days, but flooding of some degree seems almost imminent. The Des Moines Register has been doing excellent non-stop coverage tonight, and if you're interested in learning more click on through for much more than the little snippets I've provided here.
At least the longer term forecast is finally for drier days and nights, and everybody in Iowa (I dare to pronounce) is ready to start drying out and taking care of the damage ... everyday people, farmers, gardeners, emergency services, volunteers ... I think it's already starting to wear us down a bit. But we Iowans are known for our capacity to pitch in and bounce back. I wasn't here in 1993, but it seems that everyone seems to know what needs to be done, and flood protection measures have since been made around the city (particularly in the Water Works area).
Wish us luck ...
