Iowa City Watches and Waits

Iowa City Watches and Waits

Most of the sandbagging is done, and as of 11 a.m. Sunday the Benton and Burlington Street bridges in Iowa City were still open.

While scattered preparations continue, there's nothing going on like Saturday's massive effort at the University of Iowa's Lindquist Center, where thousand of volunteers worked to protect the building housing the University's main servers.

But Iowa City's fate comes down to this afternoon's weather. Thunderstorms are predicted, and the amounts and locations of the rainfall will make the difference for many buildings and homes.

Scenes from Iowa City:



Pumping water at the Lindquist Center, Burlington and Madison Streets.



Looking across the river at the arts campus, the top of a futile row of sandbags is visible.



Water behind the line of bags at the Laser Center.



Our daily benchmark shot of the north entrance of the IMU. Couldn't get as close as usual; The west side of Madison Street is cordoned off, and campus rent-a-cops are enthusiastically enforcing the ban on bicycling bloggers, even though the street itself is bone dry.



The Kirkwood Avenue bridge over Ralston Creek. The creek is the worry spot for Iowa City today, if rains are heavy.



The Iowa City Crisis Center is in the creek's flood area. Keri Neblett says she's already heard every joke about the Crisis Center in crisis. Food bank operations are moving to Southeast Junior High "just in case," and nonessential files are going into storage.



Hills Bank on South Gilbert Street.



Sandbagging efforts at Los Portales on South Gilbert.



Bags at a MidAmerican substation on South Capitol Street. That street is closed to cars a block to the south, but bikers and pedestrians are getting through parking lots and on the sidewalk.

The flood was top of the national news yesterday, and satellite trucks are much in evidence. The Weather Channer did a live uplink from the parking lot of my office building. The stories seem to focus on extreme video, and the brevity of the TV format leads some stories to slop over, or even get wrong, the concept that Iowa City is on a different river and not "downstream" from Cedar Rapids.

Iowa City Quiet Except For Sandbagging

Iowa City, UI Quiet Except For Sandbagging



The University of Iowa fine arts campus, seen from atop the north parking ramp.

On a perfect summer Saturday afternoon in Iowa City, the streets are mostly free from traffic. Pedestrians and bikes outnumber cars. Little seems to be going on -- except sandbagging.

There's a lot of that.



With water in the IMU, the focus of bagging has moved to the Lindquist Center home of the University's information services. Hundreds of volunteers were helping, and expected to finish before 5 p.m.



Bags protecting the area between the main library and the Becker communication studies building.



From across the river, Hancher looks like it's still dry.



Note how much the water has risen at the north end of the IMU since yesterday.



Debris piles up against the Park Road Bridge. Can't tell if the big item is a dumpster or a shed. Except for the crown of the bridge, the deck is under water.



Pumping water at the west end of the Burlington Street Bridge. It's one of two still open. Benton Street is the other, two blocks from my house. But while I expected my street to look like the Coralville Strip on a football Saturday, it's actually quieter than normal. Iowa City has been through this before, and people seem to be well prepared and hunkered down.

Sandbagged

Home Sweet Home Safely (?) Sandbagged



More participatory floodblogging began at 7 AM today. I'm still confident -- we're a block and a half outside the 500 year plain -- but the landlord didn't want to take any chances.



They brought a great crew of 15 folks in, and we were done by 9:30. I helped them out bagging at their business -- a little -- but if you feel like thanking some nice folks, go have a brew at Carl & Ernie's 'Good Time' Pub and Grub. Corner of South Riverside and Hwy 1 in Iowa City. Sandbagged but open.



The city dropped off a second load of sand.



We were closely supervised by the guys.

Can't Get There From Here

Can't Get There From Here



The I-80 detour above is bad enough but the 380 detour is surreal:
Take Interstate 80 at Iowa City west to Interstate 35/Des Moines, north on Interstate 35 to U.S. 20, then east on U.S. 20 to Interstate 380 south or U.S. 218/Iowa 27 north.

Or, go south to the South Pole then north to the north Pole, then south again.

Iowa City Participatory Flood Photo Blog

Iowa City Participatory Flood Blog



Waters are entering the north doorway of the Iowa Memorial Union on the University of Iowa campus as of 5:00 Friday afternoon, and massive preparations for higher waters are evident all over lower campus. Here's Friday the 13th's Iowa City flood pictures:



Hubdred of students in a massive sandbag brigade line at the Main Library.



Elevation markers are painted all along North Madison Street on campus. This mountain is at the south end of the IMU.



"Lets get the whole Danforth Chapel in the shot," I say to myself out loud. "While you still can," says another photographer.



The Burlington Street dam is barely a speed bump under the rising waters.



North Riverside Drive by the fine arts campus, impassable.



Benton Street bridge near my house. Compare to this shot from Tuesday.

Here's the participatory part:

There's a load of sand in my driveway, and the landlord is bringing folks over to bag tomorrow. I suspect I'll be safe -- County Physical Plant Director David Kempf says the jail should be OK at 654 feet, and I'm at 656. As for work:



These folks are fishing in the parking lot at the Johnson County Administration Building. Employees (including me) spent the morning lifting stuff off floors and hauling essential equipment out to the Secondary Roads shop.

Johnson County Preps for Evacuations, Road Closings, Office Move

Johnson County Preps for Evacuations, Road Closings, Office Move

County supervisors passed a mandatory evacuation notice at an emergency meeting Thursday night, and also considered contingencies for road closings and relocation of county offices as flood waters approach the county's Administration Building.

"It's a desperate situation, no doubt about it," Congressman Dave Loebsack told the meeting. Loebsack said Federal Emergency Management Agency director Dave Paulison will be in the area Friday.

"It's going to really hit transportation, specifically north and south," said county engineer Greg Parker. Shortly after the meeting, the Highway 965 bridge over the Iowa River closed. "There's a strong possibility the 380 bridge will be closed."

"There will be access in and out" of most areas, said Board assistant Mike Sullivan, "but there will be no direct routes for quite a while."

Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek said the first rural areas that may be evacuated would be the Cottage Reserve area at Lake MacBride and parts of Sand Road near Hills. While homes themselves may not be flooded, roads may be cut off. "Our first concern is the areas where we have only one way in and one way out" for emergency responders, he said.

If waters reach the projected levels by next week, Pulkrabek said, "it does potentially turn Hills into an island."

The county plans to maintain essential services even if the Administration Building is flooded, by relocating some staff and servers to other sites. "We're so close to the border line (of flood projections) we can't say. But before the water gets to the door, we become an island," said Facilities Manager David Kempf.

Kempf said the county jail has four feet of clearance from the expected high water mark, but the Ambulance building is near the edge. (If you're worried about me: my house is four feet higher than the jail. Though I'd feel better if I was back on top of the hill at the Bohemian Paradise of Gaslight Village...)

Recorder Kim Painter and Treasurer Tom Kriz said many of their services will be available on line, and Auditor Tom Slockett said payroll and accounts payable services would continue.

In one example of how law and nature can conflict, Kriz said there is no provision in state law to postpone a mandatory tax sale scheduled for Monday. If the Administration Building is closed. Kriz said the sale would be held at the courthouse, high on a hill.

Iowa City Flood Blog: County Offices At Risk

Guess What We Did At Work Today



The Johnson County Administration Building may be at risk from rising floodwaters if Tuesday's Army Corps of Engineers flood estimates hold, the county's facilities manager told the Board of Supervisors Wednesday. The Administration Building was sandbagged, except for the main entrance, by midday Wednesday.

(Long time readers, of course, know that's where my day job is located.)

Facilities Manager David Kempf said if Corps projections hold, flood waters may reach the building by late Saturday. The ambulance department, a storage facility, and an annex that houses the Veterans Affairs office, called the Fisher Building locally, are also at risk.



The egalitarian sandbagging crew ranged from elected officials to part-time employees. Between shovels of sand during the sandbagging, Board Chair Rod Sullivan said Kempf would notify him if the building became inaccessible due to floodwaters, and the Board would then consider an emergency Sunday meeting to make further decisions.



Conservation Director Harry Graves and Assistant Planning and Zoning Administrator R.J. Moore shovel sand, while minute taker Megan Grant holds the bag.

Campus, Coralville Cope With Flood: Iowa City Flood Photos 2

Campus, Coralville Cope With Flood: Iowa City Flood Photos 2


Though the overflow of the Coralville Dam spillway is now not expected until Wednesday morning it was 8:30 tonight, the outlook for the Iowa City area is being summed up in three words: "Worse Than 1993." The University of Iowa Campus, and other low-lying parts of Iowa City and Coralville, are already seeing the impact.



Homes on Edgewater Drive in Coralville are now well beyond the edge, as this fellow kayaks down the street.



A bubbling manhole cover on North Riverside Drive. The street was flooded out in 1993 but was still open Tuesday night.



Fraternity Row, as seen from the arts campus.



Hancher Auditorium, protected by sandbags.



Another view of Hancher, with the closed Park Road bridge in the foreground. Lower City Park is completely submerged.



Also submerged: this walkway at the Iowa Memorial Union.



Outside the River Room at the IMU; the name wasn't meant this literally.



Sandbags at the Iowa Advanced Tech. Laboratories. I had to look the name up -- everybody in Iowa City still calls it the Laser Center.



South end of Rocky Shore Drive.



Officials are encouraging people to stay out of the way in flooded areas, but that didn't stop these two from going all the way to the end of Dubuque Street. (I have an excuse; I'm a professional journalist.)



Officials are also telling people to stay out of flood waters. Instead of going for the easy joke about dogs and fire hydrants, I'll just say: Buddy, your bus isn't stopping at Dubuque Street and Kimball Road for a LOOOONG time. The scene inspired this exchange:

Kids: "Can we go in the water too? That guy is!"
Mom: "No! There might be sewage in there."
Dad/Professional Journalist: "Yeah, would you walk in poop?"
Two Young Women Taking Pictures: "We would! Just to get the picture."
Dad/Professional Journalist, laughing: "You're not my kids, go ahead."





The Benton Street Bridge, two blocks from my house. A homeless veteran died under this bridge recently; even those without homes are losing their homes to the flood. The camping, non-shelter homeless often stay close to the river, and indigent fishermen are often seen along the now-underwater Iowa River bike trail.

Iowa City Flood Scenes

Iowa City Flood Scenes

Bargain hunters had a big opportunity at Houseworks in Iowa City Monday, but had to climb over sandbags to take advantage of the resale/consignment store's 50 percent off flood sale.

More scenes from Iowa City's first 500 year flood in 15 years: (Update: More from Tuesday)

Just south of Houseworks, sandbagging crews were still working in the early evening.

Feline residents of the Iowa City Animal Shelter were taking advantage of their sandbagged outdoor play area, as evening showers started.

Sandbags at the Iowa Memorial Union, east of the river. Further north, Dubuque Street near Mayflower Hall is under water, as is most of Lower City Park. On the west side of campus, arts classes and offices are being moved out of several buildings, including including Hancher Auditorium, Voxman Music Building and Clapp Recital Hall, the Theatre Building, the Museum of Art, the Art Building and Art Building West.

Flooding hasn't stopped the fine dining at the Iowa River Power Company, but the water flowing over the nearby dam made for a treacherous view. Along with other debris, a 55 gallon plastic drum bobbled in the water like a rubber duck, dwarfed by the flooding.

At the Coralville Dam, water is expected to crest the spillway, 712 feet above sea level, during the overnight hours. The blue line is the 716.75 foot record from 1993.

At the spillway, a hurricane party atmosphere prevailed, with dozens of people standing where water will be flowing in a few hours. The road over the dam will be closed, and a nonstop line of cars trekked across for one last chance at the view.

Outflow at the dam is being incrementally cranked up. This is what 18,000 cubic feet per second looks like, flooding the lower campgrounds area. On Saturday, people waded across the submerged road to get an up-close look, but by Monday the area was cordoned off with stern NO FOOT TRAFFIC BEYOND THIS POINT signs. Outflow will be increased to 20,000 cubic feet per second Tuesday morning, and 21,000 cubic feet per second Wednesday.