Press Release Archive
Friday, June 13, 2008
10am Flood Disaster Response Update
JOHNSTON – Below is the latest information from the Iowa State Emergency Operations Center.
NOTE: The State Emergency Operation’s Center Joint Information Office will be open 24 hours through the duration of the disaster response. The office will provide an update with the latest information every few hours.
Latest Major Events:
* Utility crews are making gains on restoring power. Aproximately 27,000 customers are without electricity statewide, compared to more than 40,000 customers Thursday night. Alliant/IPL reports that about 21,000 of them are in the Cedar Rapids area. Vinton Municipal still has about 1300 customers off line. A total of about 10,000 gas meters have been shut off.
* Due to water and power concerns, Mercy Hospital in Cedar Rapids was closed last night. By 7:30 this morning (Friday), a total of 205 patients had been moved to other hospitals.
* Emergency crews from Pleasant Hill began an evacuation of Prarie View Mobile Home Park located at 4300 Park Ridge Boulevard due to an area of concern identified in the levy system. Extended sheltering was made available at S.E. Polk Jr. High School.
* Hundreds of people responded to a call for volunteers to augment levies surrounding the Birdland area in north Des Moines. It is anticipated that this operation with continue through Friday.
* West Des Moines officials have announced flooding in the area of the 2400 block of Grand Ave. Business owners in this area are encouraged to take the necessary precautions to protect their property in anticipation of flood conditions.
* Rumors are circulating that the Polk City water supply has been compromised. Polk City officials have confirmed this is NOT true. Polk City is sandbagging the sewer lagoon as a precaution.
TOTAL FATALITIES: There have been a total of 15 storm-related deaths since the tornado of May 25, including six in Parkersburg, two in New Hartford, one in Hamilton County, one in Wright County, one in Palo Alto County, and four Boy Scouts in Monona County.
CLOSURE OF I-80: Interstate 80 continues to be closed east of Iowa City. Westbound motorists traveling through the state are being directed to use US 61 to US 20 to I-35 back to I-80 at Des Moines. Eastbound traffic is diverting north on I-35 at Des Moines, then east on US20 to US 61 and south to I-80 at Davenport. The Interstate remains open from Des Moines through Iowa City.
ROAD CLOSURE PHONE LINE: Many roadways in Iowa remain closed today. The DOT has established a temporary customer service number to assist travelers navigate the closures. The number is answered from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The number is 1-866-452-8510. This line should not be used to report an emergency. Call 911 for emergencies. For trip planning, visit www.511ia.org. Use the low bandwidth version for a complete listing of closures.
CURRENT AND STANDING EVACUATIONS: Reports show that mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders are in effect in:
· Linn County – Cedar Rapids
· Jones County – Anamosa
· Johnson County - Iowa City and Coralville
· Des Moines County - Rural areas
· Polk County - Des Moines, Pleasant Hill
· Boone County – Madrid
· Black Hawk County - Cedar Falls and Waterloo
· Scott County – Davenport, Duck Creek Area
· Cedar County – Rochester
· Mahaska County - Rural Areas
CURRENT COUNTIES UNDER GOVERNOR DISASTER PROCLAMATION: 83 Counties as of 6/12/08
Counties under proclamation include: Adair, Adams, Allamakee, Appanoose, Audubon, Benton Black Hawk Boone, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Carroll, Cass, Cedar, Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw, Clarke, Clayton, Crawford, Clinton, Dallas, Delaware, Dubuque, Davis, Decatur, Des Moines, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Fremont Greene, Grundy, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Howard, Humboldt, Henry, Iowa, Jackson, Jasper, Johnson, Jones, Jefferson, Keokuk, Kossuth, Lee, Linn, Louisa, Lucas, Marion, Marshall, Mitchell, Monona, Montgomery, Muscatine, Mahaska, Madison, Mills, Monroe, Page, Polk, Pottawattamie, Poweshiek, Ringgold, Scott, Story, Shelby, Tama, Taylor, Union, Van Buren, Wapello, Warren, Webster, Winneshiek, Worth, Wright, Washington, Wayne, and Winnebago.
CURRENT NUMBER OF STATE EMERGENCY RESPONDERS: 2,354 Army Guard and 233 Air Guard (Total 2,587), 190 Iowa Patrol, more than 1,000 from Iowa Department of Transportation.
CURRENT LISTING OF SHELTERS:
* Cedar Rapids at Viola Gibson Elementery
*Clear Lake Middle School in Clear Lake
*Cedar Falls UNI West Gym
*Waverly at Wartburg College
*Cedar Rapids at Prairie High School
*Vinton at Iowa Braille School
*Ottumwa at Ottuma High School
*Iowa City at Johnson County Fairgrounds
*Shenandoah at the Old Armory
*Toledo at the Toledo Community Building
*Des Moines Harding Middle School