SANDBAG SURVIVAL: The worst flooding to hit Iowa since 1993 has left many struggling to survive. Sandbagging and evacuations continue in Cedar Falls and other Midwest towns.

Record rainfall across the Midwest caused widespread flooding, bringing hardship for thousands. Areas of Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Indiana are suffering. The National Weather Service is running flood projection models, but the full impact won't be known for some time.

Sandbagging Cedar Falls

On Tuesday, thousands of people in Cedar Falls rushed to help sandbag the levy walls on the banks of the Cedar River. This was enough to hold back the flood waters that night. Expecting rain through Thursday—and a continually rising river—city officials asked for more volunteers on Wednesday.

Customers and employees evacuated all downtown Cedar Falls businesses Tuesday. Sandbags lined the street. Plastic and tarps covered windows and doors. According to Mary Dooley of the American Red Cross, about 70 Cedar Falls citizens took refuge in a shelter for the night.

Donita Krueger, one of the volunteers helping to fill sandbags, said "If this breaks, the whole town will be flooded. Everything goes on down here. It would be a big hit for the community." (Associated Press, 6/11/08)

Other Iowa towns affected by the flooding:

• Waterloo—one bridge swept away, five bridges closed, downtown shut
• Waverly—Cedar River overflowed, town flooded, 500 homes and businesses affected
• Palo—flood levels higher than 1993, officials hand out sandbags and suggest evacuation
• Mason—Winnebago River breaks through levee and knocks out water treatment plant
• Des Moines—state offices relocating, Des Moines River cresting 8 feet above flood level

Most of Midwest Suffering

The flooding also affects these other Midwest states:

• In Wisconsin, Lake Denton's dam broke, rising water in the Rock River shut down traffic on Interstate 94, and officials are keeping an eye on other dams threatening to breach.
• In Minnesota, Gov. Tim Pawlenty declared a state of emergency in two southeast counties.
• In Indiana, many residents of Elnora (100 miles southwest of Indianapolis) voluntarily evacuated after 10 inches of rain swelled the White River to dangerous levels.

Mississippi on the Rise

The National Weather Service predicts crests of 10 feet or more above flood level all along the Mississippi River for at least the next two weeks. While levees protect most towns bordering the river the rest of the flood plain has no protection.

Karl Sieczynski, a weather service hydrologist, urges people in unprotected areas to evacuate to higher ground. "This is major flooding," he said. (Associated Press, 6/11/08)

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