Iowa's capital swamped by Midwestern floodwaters
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Reuters) - A levee holding back risingfloodwaters broke and swamped Iowa's capital on Saturday asofficials across the U.S. Midwest reinforced levees, helpeddisplaced residents and cleaned up the mess left by theregion's worst flooding in 15 years.
The region got a break from the torrential rains and highwinds, but some states braced for more rain, which was forecastfor Saturday night.
"Thankfully we're having some dry weather right now," saidAlan Foster, a spokesman for Iowa's state emergency managementoffice. "But with everything that's flowing ... we're stilljust hanging on."
Iowa was the epicenter of the flooding that swamped Kansas,Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and Indiana.
In Des Moines, Iowa's capital, a levee holding back the DesMoines River broke overnight, sending water rushing into aneighbourhood near downtown.
In Cedar Rapids, the state's second-largest city, thewaters of the swollen Cedar River crested overnight. But morethan 400 city blocks remain waterlogged and 24,000 people havebeen forced from their homes.
Mayor Brian Fagen toured the downtown streets by motorboat.He said the city's main fire station was submerged and he saw"block upon block" of devastation.
"Nobody expected this and planned for this," residentPhyllis Hikey said. "I thought we were pretty safe, but no, weweren't."
Downstream in Iowa City, rising waters threatened theUniversity of Iowa, the city's largest employer. A U.S. CoastGuard team was evacuating residents.
MORE RAIN PREDICTED FOR CENTRAL IOWA
Iowa Gov. Chet Culver has declared 83 of the state's 99counties disaster areas and dispatched 2,500 National Guardtroops to flooded communities.
The National Weather Service was predicting anotherquarter- to half-inch of rain for central Iowa, putting renewedpressure on the region's stressed dams, levees and bridges.
In Illinois, Gov. Rod Blagojevich activated 200 NationalGuard troops and other state aid workers to help evacuateresidents of Carman and Keithsburg, two towns on the upperMississippi River where levees broke on Saturday morning.
Blagojevich declared seven counties along the MississippiRiver threatened by the rising waters disaster areas.
The White House issued a statement on Saturday promising toprovide victims with shelter and low-interest loans.
In Quincy, Illinois, Democratic presidential candidateBarack Obama joined volunteers and filled sandbags to hold backthe Mississippi River. Republican presidential candidate JohnMcCain issued a statement expressing sympathy for the floodvictims.
Culver said the damage to his state could total billions ofdollars. Scores of bridges spanning nine overflowing rivershave been swept away or weakened. Many highways remain closed,disrupting interstate truck transportation and tourism.
The flooding led authorities to close the upper MississippiRiver to barge traffic. Commerce on a 300-mile (480-km) stretchof the most important U.S. waterway may be halted for weeks.
Iowa is usually the top U.S. corn- and soybean-growingstate and a major producer of hogs and cattle. The washed outfields and reduced harvest outlook has sent crop pricessoaring, with corn prices at the Chicago Board of Trade settinga record for the seventh straight day in Friday.
Crop losses could increase prices for food and fuels, likecorn-based ethanol, and feed growing fears of inflation.
(Additional reporting by Kay Henderson in Des Moines)
(Writing by James B. Kelleher)