Cedar Rapids flooding
- Thread starter Messi
- Start date
Definitely possible. Those guys are going to have to hope for a real cold, real early winter like 2014.
That's the biggest problem and that's why they are taking this so seriously. If CR gets the amount of rain that Ames just got in the last 30 minutes, along with what's forecast this weekend, it could be really, really bad. The unpredictability of the next 72 hours of rainfall has to be frightening.
Clarksville is expecting a levy to breach and has put out a mandatory evacuation for anyone that was affected by the 2008 floods. Bad news for them but can be good news for those downstream.
Parts of town got around an inch of rain from tha storm around six tonight. More rain overnight as well as forecasted for Sunday.
It won't. The west side and lower portions of the east side will see about 3 feet. But by Army Corps of Engineers evaluations, that's "OK". But its not their house that well see water.
Lets build in a flood plain
^ ^ ^- A** - ^ ^ ^
Has probably never been to Cedar Rapids and is totally unaware of its topography or the tributaries to the Cedar. Like every other city, established at a good crossing of the river.
Maximum river height 20' feet recorded in 1859 and 1928, until the 2008 flood of 31 feet. 24 predicted this time. Definitely NOT a flood plain.
Prior to that storm at six, very little rain in the locality. Yet the river was already predicted to crest at 24 feet in a few days. Its not lack of planning in CR. Its an unusual amount of rain happening hundreds of miles to the north, and then improper river management from Waterloo north. That big basin in Waterloo is easily overpowered unless it is left to drain PRIOR to any event. This probably means keeping the level lower in Waterloo, which will make all of those lakes around George Wythe Park less attractive recreation destinations.
Until this is corrected, rains in North Iowa and Waterloo will be the reason why the Cedar floods.
Of course it is the runoff upstream but there are no flood control reservoirs upstream of CR . A handful of run of river low head dams have zero effect on the flooding downstream at CR. Has some limited impact on low flow regime but zippo during high water events.
That the congress has approved the building of a better flood retention system in Cedar Rapids is significant. That congress has also not provided any funding for that system is also significant. Look to the leadership provided by Chuck Grassley (I'm kidding, there was no leadership provided by him, his latest words implied that we should give up on getting funds to help support the building of this system).
All it takes for catastrophes to happen, is for good men to fail to do what they know is right.
All it takes for catastrophes to happen, is for good men to fail to do what they know is right.
