Cedar Rapids Flood

Hello,

The crest is past, but it will be about Sunday before the river is below flood stage. The crest was lower than expected so that was a blessing. Also it did not rain as it was coming closer so no more water was added to the total. The citizens of Cedar Rapids and the surrounding area pitched in; moving possessions, filling sandbags, creating earth berms, and HESCOs (which I had never heard of before). As a result the damage has been on a much smaller scale. There is still a threat from the pressure on the sewer lines so we have been asked to conserve water.

There will be plenty of work to do to return possessions, sandbags (What does one do with old/used sandbags?) and HESCOs. At least there will not be a sense of impending doom, but maybe that will make the work harder. Leroy said they will be able to return to work on Friday or Saturday, however he expects most of the time and energy going to putting things back in order.

Only one bridge is open in the city and that is the interstate bridge. I used that yesterday about noon to drive to work. They have requested that traffic use the two right lanes so emergency and perhaps city vehicles can use the left lane. Most drivers respected that requirement. Traffic was quite slow and it was thanks to others that I merged in. Going around the s curve we moved at 30 mph with a lot of gawking going on because as soon as I was past that it was a more normal traffic speed. I gawked a little, but I still felt that it was best if I paid attention to the cars closest to me, just in case I might miss some unexpected move. As I have aged I notice that my focus gets directed and forgets to return to whatever.

We feel fortunate for less damage than expected.

Paula