Angry Mother Nature?
Thursday, June 12th, 2008
I posted this on MOUL Flooding in the Midwest then it occurred to me I have a blog I’ve not been using.
>>The storms and heavy rains over the last few weeks have caused rivers and streams across Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan to swell to record levels. Eastern Iowa and Western Wisconsin and Illinois are particularly hard hit, as most rivers flow toward the Mississippi, which is also reaching flood stage. Cities such as Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Davenport, and numerous small towns are experiencing floods in the streets. Many can now only get around in boats.
This is on the heels of several weeks of devastating tornadoes (one wiped out a whole town, and part of another). It gets more amazing every day, in a most unpleasant way. I have not experience more than basement flooding (thank goodness) but I watch neighboring towns struggle with rising rivers during yet another round of storms.
It is not a rapid catastrophe that makes big news, but a slow, steady destruction by a very powerful and moving force. It is really quite terrible. Farmers who have finally gotten their crops planted are now watching their new plantings drown under several feet of water. The University of Iowa is in danger of losing an art center, museum, and music building. Those who live along the rivers are watching the rivers submerge their homes. Since Iowa doesn’t normally make it into the national weather map, I thought a short update was in order. What does make the news is nothing like the real thing. Over half of the counties in Iowa have now been declared disaster areas (updated to 55 out of 99). The breadbasket of the country isn’t going to make much bread if this doesn’t end soon. <<
I’ve been watching the weather on the news, which has been on air all day. One large city (Cedar Rapids) has evacuated 8000 people from their homes. Downtown Cedar Rapids is under about two feet of water. So many little towns are devastated. Iowa City is evacuating people along the Iowa River. Des Moines, Davenport, and a multitude of small towns along about a dozen rivers are evacuating and homes are going under.
We’re getting close to meeting the criteria for the 500 year flood. And it is still raining. It is really too amazing to explain well enough for anyone to really understand.
A tidbit about the flood, with pics. There are many of them on YouTube already, but the music in this one seems appropriate.
Cedar Rapids in the Flood of 2009