Midwestern flooding

[Leo Lakio]

Pretty bad in my former hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa - downtown flooded, mandatory evacuations across town, water use restrictions.

Story & video footage here (http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080612/NEWS/531646363/1001/NEWS).

[anapuni808]

yeah - i've been checking the Des Moines Register website today. my old neighborhood, close to Birdland is being evacuated - i lived just a couple blocks from the evacuation area & it looks like my high school will be flooded.

i've also got family in Cedar Rapids & Boone that i've been trying to reach but they aren't responding to emails. i've also got family in northern Kansas where they just had another tornado.

[Leo Lakio]

i've also got family in Cedar Rapids & Boone that i've been trying to reach but they aren't responding to emails.Many parts of C.R. have had evacuations; some people were even evacuated from the neighborhood to which they had been previously evacuated. They might not be there to read 'em - or they are otherwise occupied - or there are power issues.

Checked in with my daughter & her husband, in a rural Iowa town about 75 miles north of C.R., and well away from any rivers - they are fine, though many of the region's corn fields have flooded from all the recent rains, and are now corn-lakes.

[SusieMisajon]

The corn crop has been ruined and I hear that the seed was 'Roundup Ready', which means that no new crop of anything can be planted at this late date in the season to make up for the crop shortfall.

[Leo Lakio]

Here's a connection for you Hawai`i folks, regarding the same river, the Cedar:
In Austin, Minn., the Cedar River was expected to crest Thursday night at 22 feet, 7 feet above flood stage. The river reached 25 feet in a 2004 flood that caused major damage in the city. Some businesses and offices were closed because of the flooding, including a Hormel Foods corporate office and its Spam Museum.

[timkona]

Quote from a little known play that was performed in Kona years ago....

"Bra, da Hawaiians brought SPAM with them when they came to these islands thousands of years ago."

[turtlegirl]

Aaahhgh! The corn! Noooo! That is such a shame! Sooooo bad! How will this affect America's food supply in the coming year(s)?

[anapuni808]

Many parts of C.R. have had evacuations; some people were even evacuated from the neighborhood to which they had been previously evacuated. They might not be there to read 'em - or they are otherwise occupied - or there are power issues.

Checked in with my daughter & her husband, in a rural Iowa town about 75 miles north of C.R., and well away from any rivers - they are fine, though many of the region's corn fields have flooded from all the recent rains, and are now corn-lakes.

:p Leo, you know me - i hope you think i'm smart enough to take those things into consideration? actually, i just heard from my cousin in Boone - she said they are dry for now & not to worry. she said they had all been helping out on the other side of town where most of the flooding is happening.

[Leo Lakio]

:p Leo, you know me - i hope you think i'm smart enough to take those things into consideration?You betcha - sorry to have implied otherwise.:o

[Walkoff Balk]

Is there a connection between this flooding and Global Warming?

[Leo Lakio]

Is there a connection between this flooding and Global Warming?Many would say "yes" - but proving that is a tougher story.

[anapuni808]

further checking today shows that the neighborhood where I grew up, including our house, my grade school, my high school, place where i went ice skating each winter - it's all under water! and my middle school which is up on a hill in the area is being used as a shelter. I don't have family there anymore but it is so tragic for those folks who are losing everything.

i also just heard from family in Cedar Rapids - they are all safe & dry for now and expect that to remain the case.