Iowa 'devastated' by floods
2008-06-19 08:43
Cedar Rapids - Residents dragged out soaked furniture and salvaged what they could on Wednesday from the putrid aftermath of the worst flooding in nearly a century in this Midwestern city.
This month's flooding has driven 38 000 Iowans from their
homes, two-thirds of them from this northeastern Iowa city.
Some returned to find conditions worse than they imagined.
"It's a mess. The devastation is extensive," said Amy Boyle
of the city's Chamber of Commerce. "There's lots of debris and
its very toxic - there are concerns about what was in the
water," she said.
The rain-fed flood waters that roared over levees and
through sandbagged barriers have created a multibillion-dollar
disaster in Iowa and other Midwestern states.
Flood water may carry sewage, chemicals, farm waste, and
dead animals, contaminating everything it touches.
Local flooding of this magnitude last occurred in the
1920s, when the population was much smaller than the current 120 000 in Cedar Rapids.
Foundations damaged
Hundreds of city blocks inundated last week by the swollen
Cedar River may have to be levelled, including scores of
downtown office buildings - and concerns were raised about the
city's proximity the river.
"We are seeing a lot of collapsed foundations in areas
closest to the river," said Dave Koch of the fire department.
"Everything is ... trashed," said John Tursi, director of
the Boys and Girls Club. "There was grime and a sludge all over
the floor and walls. There's still three feet (1 metre) of
water in the gymnasium."