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Photos by Nick Gengler and John Slegers.
RECORD FLOODS HIT NORTHWEST IOWA – UPDATE
FLOODING CONTINUES ON THE FLOYD AND BIG SIOUX RIVERS:
FLOYD:
at Alton: River crested at 26 feet at 1:30 p.m. (record stage 22 feet)
Forecast: River level down to 18 feet by 7 p.m. Saturday. River will fall below flood stage by 1 a.m. Monday
at Le Mars: River level 21.5 feet at 3 p.m.
Forecast: River to crest at 26.2 feet at 7 p.m. Saturday. River will fall below flood stage at 1 a.m. Tuesday
at Merrill: River at 9.2 feet at 3 p.m.
Forecast: River to crest at 17.6 feet 1 p.m. Sunday. River will fall to flood stage 1 a.m. Tuesday
BIG SIOUX:
at Hawarden: River crested at 39.84 feet at 3:30 p.m. (record stage 35.2 feet)
Forecast: River levels falling, but will continue above flood stage through Thursday
at Akron: River last measured at 26.01 feet at 4 p.m. (record stage 25.5 feet)
Forecast: River will crest at 27.3 feet 7 p.m. Saturday. Continued major flooding through Thursday.
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Parts of Plymouth County are preparing for flood waters, as rains of between 8 and 16 inches have fallen further north, across the two tiers of counties in northwest Iowa, and adjacent portions of Minnesota and South Dakota.
Today, Alton is coping with record floodwaters. Iowa Highway 10 is closed from Highway 60. to Jefferson Ave. An RV park along the river at Highway 10, was evacuated earlier this morning. Campers had just minutes to leave, as the Floyd River rapidly rose. Homes north of the Highway 10 viaduct were also inundated this morning. The city of Alton is asking residents to minimize their water use, as one of the city’s two lift stations was flooded.
South of Alton, Highway 60 is closed at mile marker 12, and also at Carnes, due to high water.
Alton Roadside Park is underwater…
In Le Mars, Highway 60 north and US 75 north have been closed to traffic.
The full impact of flooding in Plymouth County won’t be seen until later today into tonight.
A Flood Warning has been called for Plymouth County until 1 pm today, and another flood warning from 10 pm tonight to 10 am Tuesday. Flood waters will affect several rivers flowing through the county. There is a flood warning along the Big Sioux River at Akron and Westfield, and a flood warning along the Floyd River at Le Mars, Merrill, and Sioux City.
Fire departments and volunteers at Akron and Hawarden are filling sandbags today in anticipation of the floodwaters downstream from Rock Valley.
(photos courtesy Ciy of Akron)
Plymouth County Emergency Management also has sand and bags available at their Le Mars location for residents who wish to use them.
The community hardest hit by the floods is Rock Valley, where city officials have ordered the evacuation of all residences north of U.S. Highway 18. People were urged to head to Trinity Reformed Church for shelter. The Iowa State Patrol has set up road blocks outside of Rock Valley. These road blocks are to stop any vehicles that are not Rock Valley residents.
Many Sioux County roads are covered with floodwater, and some bridges are out.
The combination of heavy rains in the Big Sioux and Rock River basins is starting to bear down on Hawarden.
First responders are evacuating residents there, and no traffic is being allowed into the city. Hawarden utility officials are urging no unnecessary water use, as water lines are becoming contaminated.
