No, it’s not raining here in Central Jersey, but it has been raining almost nonstop in the Midwest, wreaking havoc on the region.
I received a couple of text messages yesterday from my sister, Sandy, who lives in Cedar Falls, Iowa, which is facing some dire conditions, according to The New York Times:
Officials in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, ordered the evacuation of parts of the city as the Cedar River continued to rise. In nearby Waterloo, part of a railroad bridge collapsed into the river and officials decided to evacuate some neighborhoods because of the rising waters.
Emergency sandbags in Cedar Falls, another municipality along the Cedar River, succeeded in keeping the water at bay, but officials called for extra volunteers to man the defenses. Power in the town of Vinton, population 5,000, was turned off, and evacuations were ordered for parts of town where water was three feet deep.
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier offers this report:
Waterloo Mayor Tim Hurley has declared an immediate mandatory evacuation in the area bounded by the following streets: From West Sixth Street to West 18th Street and from the Cedar River to Jefferson Street.
Residents and businesses should leave immediately. People affected are reminded to bring medications, medical assistant devices, important documents and a change of clothes.
An evacuation center is open at the McLeod Center on the UNI campus. The center is for initial processing for long term and immediate needs.
A Red Cross shelter remains open at the UNI West Gym off Hudson Road in Cedar Falls.The evacuation is necessary because the city’s lift stations in the area are not keeping up with ground water runoff. This is not due to levee breaches or river water.
Homes and buildings in this area are in imminent danger of flooding and the strong possibility of isolating people from getting out.
The sandbagging operations at the Street Department will be relocated to the Iowa Department of Transportation Maintenance Shed on West Ridgeway Avenue and Highway 63.
Not pretty.
Here is the string of texts between my sister and I yesterday:
Sandy: Downtown Cedar Falls evacuated. Flooded.
Me: Oh man, I was wondering about that this morning but it sounded like most of the damage was southeast of you.
Sandy: For now. Electricity may shut but that should be it.
Let’s hope so.
Hank Kalet 