Never good when your hometown is front page news nationally for three days running :cens:

All of the water in Cedar Rapids comes from a number of wells, most of which flooded quickly. Yesterday there was a news report that the last pump station (in a town of 125,000 people mind you) was going to flood quickly and help was needed.

Within 30 minutes 800 people showed up to fill sandbags.

They have 4 days of water left before the entire town runs dry, and my parents being on high ground are the first to get cut off. Not a good time to have your house catch fire!

Some pics...

http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=GO&Dato=20080613&Kategori=NEWS&Lopenr=433934971&Ref=PH

http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=GO&Dato=20080613&Kategori=NEWS&Lopenr=935363878&Ref=PH

-spence

Wow Spence. I hope your family is OK during all of this.

They're doing well, although the new water ban they just put in place will be a test. Only limited cooking and hand washing is permitted.
No showers even!

A neighbor knows someone with a well outside of town so they're all heading out to fill up coolers with water.

And this is after a winter where they had 60" of snow and multiple ice storms!

-spence

My best to your parents Spence.

hoping for the best spence.

They're fine, but the town is going to take a long time to recover.

They say it's going to take two weeks for the river to get back to flood stage!

-spence

Spence - Hope all are safe. Have friends in Des Moines who are manning sand bag lines. Scary.


ps - my Iowa friends keep me stocked with Maytag Blue! Yum!!

ps - my Iowa friends keep me stocked with Maytag Blue! Yum!!
Take a thin slice and melt it over a sizzeling rare fillet served with some simple sauteed spinach (just salt, pepper and a little olive oil).

As good as it gets.

-spence

Glad they're on high ground but being without water is no fun. :doh:

Customer I was just on the phone with about half an hour ago said he had been sandbagging his house all weekend.