'The 500-year flood'

2008-06-13 20:05

Iowa - Rising flood waters swamped the river city of Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Friday, forcing residents to flee their homes, and officials to abandon city hall amid a crisis that has left 15 people dead.

Nothing could stop the water. Not sandbags. Not levees. Not prayers.

"We've been in a major flood fight for about 10 days now," said Bret Voorhees, spokesperson for the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

"Nine of our major rivers are at record or new record levels," he told AFP.

"We're designating it a 500-year flood."

The disaster began when a major tornado struck on May 25. Then the rain started. And didn't stop.

On Wednesday another tornado struck, killing four Boy Scouts. And more thunderstorms are predicted for Saturday.

A total of 15 lives have been lost and thousands were left homeless, Voorhees said.

Evacuations and disaster areas

Ten counties were under mandatory evacuation orders and 83 counties had been declared federal disaster areas.

"We're trapped with nowhere to go," said Gloria Hines, who lives about a dozen blocks from where the river spilled over in Cedar Rapids.

The floodwaters had not reached her home yet, but the street was made impassable by water gushing out of storm drains. A few small fish spilled out of the contaminated sewage ways.

"It's a double hit," she said, as she sought refuge on her family porch.

The biggest flood in Iowa's history swelled on Friday after torrential rains returned to the soggy midwestern state Thursday as downriver towns prepared for the worst.

"Our predictions of a 100-year flood, or greater, are really coming to pass," a sombre Iowa City Mayor Regenia Bailey said. "The flows will continue to increase."

The National Guard was called in to help an army of volunteers with sandbagging and rescue efforts.

Everything filled with water

A boat ride through Cedar Rapid's water-logged downtown saw every organ of government crippled.

The library, the federal building, city hall - all were darkened and filled with water which rippled through basements and pulled files and furniture out through the windows.

Fumes wafted from the county jail whose inmates had just hours earlier been evacuated along with their mattresses.

A young couple waved from atop a nearby building.

Clutching the cats that nearly cost them their lives, Charles Schmitt, 19, and girlfriend Kayla Lambreacht climbed unsteadily into the aluminium pontoon.

They had fled their nearby home when the basement filled with water. But when one of the cats jumped into the river when they stopped to take a picture Schmitt jumped in to save it. And then Lambreacht jumped in to save him.

Clutching two storage bins that Lambreacht tossed into the water, they floated for 45 minutes before they found a building to climb into.

- AFP