Flood of 2008 – First Report

Cedar Rapids is in the midst of a historical event. This is the worst flood that has ever occurred in this community. The previous worst flood was in 1929 with the possibility that a flood in 1851 was as bad. Obviously records weren’t that good back then so it’s hard to say. But by 1929 people were keeping very good records and Karen’s dad personally took pictures from the top of the Quaker Oats plant that showed the entire Rock Island railroad yard under water. That flood had a crest of 20.0 feet. As of 5:18 p.m. we already had a river level of 28.5 feet and by 6:49 p.m. the river had risen to 29.2 feet. To give you an idea, the water level reached from the river 10 blocks on the west side. Yesterday I drove around and took pictures of the flood. At that time it looked like any flood I’d ever seen. There was some water in pools in the low-lying areas. It covered some roads close to the river. But as far as I could see there was no water threatening any building that I went by. By dawn today all the levies in town had been breached and there was about 10 feet of water in all the near in neighborhoods.

After this alarming introduction let me say that everyone we know and love is perfectly safe. We all live miles away from the river and quite a distance above the floodplain. The local television stations have been broadcasting 24/7 and it is hard to find out anything other than what is happening in Cedar Rapids.

All the pictures that I took yesterday were nothing. And you can’t get anywhere near the flooding today. City police and National Guard have blocked off everywhere and they are seriously discouraging any sightseers from coming down and getting in the way. When I looked this afternoon there were pictures of the Cedar Rapids flood on Flickr but there was only one from today. I’m sure there are many more now and tomorrow there will be even more. Direct your browser to: http://www.flickr.com and do a search on “Cedar Rapids flood 2008”.

Those of you here in town will know as much as I do about what’s going on. I seriously encourage you to leave your comments about what you’ve experienced. Those of you farther afield, please ask questions in the comments area.

The river is supposed to crest tomorrow morning at dawn. I’m sure there will be much more to tell you then. Just an initial alert. More later.

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9 Responses to Flood of 2008 – First Report

  1. Wendy says:

    I just got off the phone with Mom and I believe you were posting this while we were talking. There are some really horrifying pictures on the Gazette web site (http://gazetteonline.com). I think they give a better perspective of what the city looks like at the moment than the ones I’ve been finding on Flickr. I’m so glad you are all safe and sound, but it’s sickening to see my home town like this. Love to all!

  2. Diane says:

    It’s 11:30p now and I just signed on to AOL. I can’t believe it. They show pictures of 10 full blocks under water, bridges closed, and one swept away. The only other person I know in CR is Nancy Hellentall Brodie and I don’t know where she lives. I connected with her at Mom’s funeral. I’m glad you are safe and sound. How is Lance and Cherise. They say Iowa City is bad too?

  3. Lisa says:

    This afternoon we on the southwest side of town lost power for about 4 1/2 hours. The roughest part about that was not being able to watch the coverage on TV, I’ve been glued to the set. I was coming home from Four Oaks about 1pm today (between Southland St and Kirkwood College). I was taking an alternate route–6th St–and drove over Prairie Creek. At that time, the water just from the creek was within about six inches of that bridge. I’m beginning to wonder if I’ll be able to get anywhere tomorrow. I’m not too inclined to leave the house.

  4. Lisa says:

    This afternoon, the SW side lost power for about 4 1/2 hours. I considered this a lucky break since reports have said it might be out for a week! “Don’t it always seem to go, you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.”

    I was coming home from Four Oaks today around 1pm (it’s on Bowling St SW between Kirkwood College and 33rd Ave SW)using 6th St as an alternate route. right around 66th Ave (or where ever Prairie Creek is) I crossed the bridge over the creek, looked down, and saw that the water from the creek(!) was almost over the roadway. I seriously doubt if I’ll be able to use that route tomorrow since it has rained heavily almost continuously since then.

    What I can’t quite get a handle on is what things are going to be like after the waters receed. Since the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Ave bridges, among others, are all underwater and weakening, will they even be safe to drive on? I also hear speculation that the foundations of the I380 bridge across the river is weakening.

  5. Sue says:

    My goodness, our experience pales in comparison to what is happening in CR. I looked at the pictures on the Gazette website and it is almost too much for the mind to comprehend. I bet our old house is also surrounded by water. I wondered about the hospitals and I saw they were trying to sand bag Mercy to keep water on first floor. Mays Island with all the bridges under water is quite something. Here, in Racine, our dam and levies held. We had about 2000 people evacuated from about 4 blocks each side of the river. It crested at 13.9 feet. In a town north of us the bridge itself held, but the water weakened the earth around it and the dam gave way, damaging 4 towns down stream. They were prepared and as far as I know everyone got out safely. This is Katrina happening over a longer time and a larger area. Who said Global Warming! We had severe weather last night and more expected today.

  6. Nancy says:

    Thanks for the update Butch
    We saw the news this morning and it was quite shocking but felt better knowing you all and everyone we know in Cedar Rapids was safe, thanks. It is just unbelievable all the water in such a short amount of time. Take care and keep us posted.

  7. Karen says:

    I was in a meeting at work yesterday and out of contact with the world. We went to a restaurant to get some lunch and saw on the TV that the railroad bridge at Pennick had gone. I decided to send everyone home including our consultant from Des Moines! I cleaned up a few things and tried to find a route across the river. I went on 380 and as I approached the near SW side I started to cry. Homes and business are utterly ruined with 6-8 feet of water inside. As I crossed the river, I could not see any evidence of the bridges including the railings. There was no sign of the land on the island – just City Hall, the Court House, and the jail sticking out ot he river. Most pictures showing on the news and websites were taken from a helicoptor fly over at about 10:30 am. I crossed at 1:30 and saw that our whole town was devastated. We no longer have a library (there is no way they could have moved the books) and the Czech and African American museums are both under water. I hope that artifacts were saved.

    I decided not to go to work today though 380 is still open. The whole thing is too much to take in. They say the water will stay in the streets for a week or more.

    Iowa City hasn’t hit a crest yet so the devastation is coming. Many University buildings are surrounded including the union and the main library. They have very precious materials in their collection and I trust they are doing what they can to save them.

    Butch and I and all of our close friends and family are safe and well away from the water. My heart goes out to the people who have lost everything they own.

  8. Ray B says:

    Thanks for the update, Butch. I have heard about a few folks whose homes are swimming in about 10 feet of water right now. Glad you all are safe and you might want to speed up work on that Ark.

  9. Joyce Carpenter says:

    Butch and Karen,
    Cherise probably hasn’t told you that 6 homes owned by some of our family members are flooded on the NW side of Cedar Rapids.

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