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Recent Iowa Flood News – March

Posted on 21. Mar, 2010 by admin in News and Links

Falling river levels bring a sense of guarded relief from Iowa flood worries [DMR] – Many Iowa rivers are falling, and wide swaths of the state appear poised to escape serious flooding if heavy rains stay away, the National Weather Service reported Thursday.

Senators question flood mapping [Burlington Hawkeye] - A bipartisan group of senators, including Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, questioned the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about flood insurance rate maps created for communities and individuals.

Historic, Possibly Deadly Flooding Predicted Swath of U.S. [ABC] – More than a third of the U.S. faces a high risk of flooding this spring, and Midwesterners may get the brunt of it, according to government forecasters.

University of Iowa’s Iowa Flood Center

Student project uses sonar to measure river levels [ICP] – A project spearheaded by a group of University of Iowa students has the potential to help hundreds of Iowa communities be better prepared in future years when floodwater threatens. The team of engineering students has developed a relatively low-cost, automated sonar sensor that when fixed to the underside of bridges can transmit up-to-the-minute data on river stages.

Iowa flood legislation washes aside [DMR] – Calls for more aggressive measures intensified after record floods in 1993 and a string of high-water crises that followed, causing $20 billion in damage. They intensified again after record flooding in 2008. Rising rivers this spring have prompted fears of another round of devastation. “It’s unconscionable that they could even consider adjourning without at least addressing some kind of flood plain development issues,” said Marian Gelb, executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group Iowa Environmental Council.

Grassley advises city leaders on flood protection system [CR Gazette] – Sen. Chuck Grassley told city officials Friday afternoon at City Hall that it will be easier for him to make a case for a federally-funded flood-protection system in Cedar Rapids if the city has the backing of the Army Corps of Engineers, Mayor Ron Corbett said.

Officials: We’re ready for flooding [IC Press Citizen] – Municipal and state officials said they learned lessons from the 2008 flood and are better prepared now to deal with spring flooding.

State officials urge Iowans to buy flood insurance [Radio Iowa] – State officials are urging Iowans in flood-prone areas to buy flood insurance. Angel Robinson, the Consumer Advocate in the State of Iowa’s Insurance Division, says only 15,000 Iowans currently have flood insurance. “I would also remind Iowans that their homeowners policies and the coverage that they’ve bought for their properties for commercial businesses will not actually cover them in case of a flood,” Robinson says.

UI, Cedar Rapids Brace For Flooding [KCCI] – The University of Iowa is still recovering from historic floods in 2008, but the school is preparing for the potential for more high water this spring.