Friday, June 13, 2008

the race to higher ground

It just keeps getting worse! Rising water forced the evacuation of a downtown Cedar Rapids hospital Friday night after residents of more than 3,000 homes fled for higher ground. A railroad bridge collapsed, and over 400 city blocks are under water.
The water supply is at a critical level. The Cedar Rapids Water Department is currently only able to produce water at 25 percent of normal operation. City officials are urging residents to use water only for drinking, to use paper plates and avoid doing dishes or running a dishwasher. Residents are also being urged not to flush the toilet after each use, to use hand sanitizer rather than water to washing hands, and to avoid operating a washing machine.
Flooding also closed Interstate 80 from east of Iowa City to Davenport. The flooded Cedar River crosses the interstate in Cedar County, about 20 miles east of Iowa City. This re-routed interstate traffic is now coming through Dubuque. Gov. Chet Culver declared 83 of the state's 99 counties to be state disaster areas, and nine rivers were at or above historic flood levels.
Take a look:

Once again, please keep these people in your thoughts and prayers...

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