Press Release Archive

Friday, June 13, 2008

4:00 P.m. Flood Disaster Response Update

JOHNSTON – Below is the latest information from the Iowa State Emergency Operations Center.

VOLUNTARY EVACUATION IN DES MOINES: Des Moines officials are recommending that downtown residents and businesses evacuate the area by 6 p.m. today because of rising river levels. The Des Moines River is expected to crest downtown earlier than had been thought, as early as 8 p.m. tonight. Des Moines officials are urging people and businesses within the 500-year flood plain to evacuate.

MASON CITY WATER NOW SAFE: The public water supply was declared safe to drink as of 9:30 a.m. Water service was lost when a levee broke on Sunday. 

CLOSURE OF I-80: Interstate 80 continues 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 US 20 to US 61 and south to I-80 at Davenport. Interstate 80 remains open from Des Moines to Iowa City.

CLOSURE OF I-380: The Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) is preparing to close the northbound and southbound lanes of Interstate 380 (also U.S. 218/Iowa 27) in eastern Iowa between exit 4 (North Liberty) and exit 10. The closure is tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. today. However, water is already creeping near the roadway and the road may be closed sooner. If you need to use this road to evacuate the area, begin making plans to do so immediately.

ADDITIONAL LIMITATIONS ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS:

I-29 McPaul interchange – All exit and entrance ramps at the McPaul interchange (exit 20) in Fremont County are closed.

 I-80 and Dubuque Street interchange in Johnson County – Flood waters are over Dubuque Street south of this interchange in Iowa City. The southbound exit from I-80 is closed.

I-80 in Cedar County– Both eastbound and westbound lanes of I-80 are closed at milepost 266, just west of the Iowa 38 interchange. This road is expected to remain closed for two to three days.  The detour route is U.S. 61 north to U.S. 20 in Dubuque, west on U.S. 20 to Interstate 35, and south on Interstate 35 to Interstate 80 to Des Moines.

I-380 and H Avenue Interchange in Linn County (ramp closure only) – The southbound I-380 exit ramp (#21) to H Avenue is closed.

I-380 and 1st Avenue interchange in Linn County (ramp closure only; I-380 remains open) – The northbound I-380 entrance ramp (#19A) to 1st Avenue West and the southbound I-380 exit ramp (#19B) have been closed due to flood waters over 1st Avenue West in downtown Cedar Rapids. 

I-380 and 1st Street interchange in Linn County (ramp closure only; I-380 remains open) – The northbound I-380 exit ramp (#19C) to 1st Street West and the southbound I-380 exit ramp (#20A) to 1st Street East have been closed due to flooding in downtown Cedar Rapids.

ROAD CLOSURE PHONE LINE: Many roadways in Iowa are closed. The DOT has established a temporary customer service number to assist travelers. The number is 1-866-452-8510. It is answered from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. 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.

TOTAL FATALITIES:  There have been a total of fifteen 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.

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 Iowa Army National Guard and 233Iowa Air National Guard (total 2,587); 190 Iowa State Patrol; more than 1,000 from the Iowa Department of Transportation.

CURRENT LISTING OF SHELTERS:

* Cedar Rapids at Viola Gibson Elementary

*Clear Lake Middle School in Clear Lake

*Cedar Falls at UNI West Gym

*Waverly at Wartburg College

*Cedar Rapids at Prairie High School

*Vinton at Iowa Braille School

*Ottumwa at Ottumwa High School

*Iowa City at Johnson County Fairgrounds

*Iowa City at Northwest Junior High School

*Shenandoah at the Old Armory

*Toledo at the Toledo Community Building

*Des Moines Harding Middle School

*Pleasant Hill at Southeast Polk Junior High

*Coralville at Northwest Junior High School

THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH REMINDS IOWANS:

  • Avoid contact with flood waters as much as possible. Do not wade, swim, or enter flood waters due to the unknown hazards that likely exist. Immediately wash hands and bare skin that come in contact with flood water with soap and hot water.
  • Be aware that when power goes out, refrigerated food may go bad after two hours, and frozen food may spoil after 24 hours.
  • If in a flooded area, use only clean water (bottled, boiled, or treated) for drinking, cooking, and personal hygiene such as brushing teeth.
  • Be extra careful during clean up efforts. Keep children and pets out of the affected area, discard any items that can not be completely washed and disinfected, and watch where you step.
  • Use gas-powered generators and power washers in well-ventilated areas during clean up. Never use them indoors.