NEWS

Iowa flooding 2016: What we know

Matthew Patane
mpatane@dmreg.com

The Cedar River in Cedar Rapids was expected to crest Tuesday at levels that would cause the second worst flood in the city's history.

Floodwater stretches across a street in Vinton as the Cedar River reaches 21.78 feet on Monday morning, Sept. 26, 2016. The second worst flood in the city's history.

Register reporters have been on the ground covering 2016 flooding in northern Iowa and Cedar Rapids since Thursday. Here's the latest to get you caught up to speed:

The latest

The Cedar River is now expected to crest at about 22 feet in Cedar Rapids sometime Tuesday morning or early afternoon, according to revised predictions from the National Weather Service.

The NWS had predicted a crest of about 23 feet. Both predictions are well below the 31-foot record Cedar Rapids saw during 2008 flooding, but are still high enough to cause major flooding if the city's preparations don't hold the river's waters at bay.

Monday saw city officials and residents waiting to see what Tuesday will bring. The city has erected about 10 miles of protective flood walls. Behind the walls are about 1,400 homes and 400 businesses.

Cities like Cedar Rapids and Vinton have turned to military-tested HESCO barriers to protect them from the flood.

Cedar Rapids has also called for a voluntarily evacuation, but some residents, like Ronnee Peterson are staying put in a sign of defiance of this year's floods.

“I won’t leave until — actually until they come and tell me I’m going to jail,” Peterson told the Register's Kyle Munson.

Meanwhile, towns like Vinton and Clarksville are cleaning up after being hit by flooding earlier this week and over the weekend.

Scammers targeting Cedar Rapids flood evacuees

Earlier flooding

As Cedar Rapids readied for Tuesday's crest, areas of northern and eastern Iowa had already been hit by this year's floods.

Heavy rains mid- and late last week caused floodwaters in Shell Rock, Greene and nearby towns. The Shell Rock River had begun to recede Saturday after cresting Friday to a new record.

Local officials said about 80 homes were affected by flooding in Greene, while 20 to 30 were affected in Shell Rock.

On Saturday, about 25 homes in Palo were evacuated.

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad activated the National Guard on Friday to assist with the state's flooding response. By Monday, he had issued emergency disaster assistance for 17 Iowa counties.

Has anything changed since 2008?

Even as Cedar Rapids prepared, questions were raised over whether anything had changed in the city since 2008 to hold back floodwaters.

A new levee system has not been constructed in Cedar Rapids, even though it experienced its worst flood eight years ago and had to rebuild parts of the city.

While hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent to rebuild Cedar Rapids' downtown, only a few small sections of levees and floodwalls have been built.

Local leaders said they have worked quickly to put a new flood-protection plan in place. Cedar Rapids also purchased and demolished about 1,400 of the most flood-prone homes. Congress needs to allocate more money, though, to more quickly build the miles of levees and floodwalls the city needs, they said.

"If we had the money we would be the first ones to spend it on flood protection. We need our federal partners to step up because we knew this day would come," City Council member Ann Poe told the Register's Joel Aschbrenner on Friday.

How residents are helping prepare

Flood-affected communities have taken to social media, like this "2016 Flood of Cedar Rapids" Facebook page, to request help in protecting and sandbagging buildings and businesses.

Those efforts resulted in a vast collaboration among residents to place sandbags around the city, including in Cedar Rapids' New Bohemia district, according to news reports. On Saturday, Iowa Brewing Co. offered volunteers free beer for their help, KCRG reported.

Then, on Sunday, a group of about 100 volunteers removed 880 seats from the city's Paramount Theatre in under three hours. The landmark opened in 1928 about a block away from the Cedar River. The 2008 floods covered it in water, ruining seats, the carpet, the walls and the Paramount's signature Wurlitzer organ.

Meanwhile, Cedar Rapids' Animal Care and Control shelter is offering to take in pets for free until floodwaters recede. The shelter would rather take on people's pets instead of having owners stay in their at-risk houses.

Those who want to help sandbag and deliver meals can also contact Horizons at 319-398-3943, ext. 1012.

Warnings about water safety

Iowa's Department of Natural Resources has warned families in flood zones who use private drinking wells to seek out alternative sources of water.

Private wells, DNR said, that are flooded can be exposed to bacteria, viruses, farm chemicals and other pollutants. The department said affected residents should use different water sources until their systems are checked by an Iowa DNR certified well contractor.

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MORE:  Evacuation map