Northeast Iowans fight and brace for historic flooding

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CHARLES CITY --- The flood of 2008 is making and washing awayhistory.

Record water levels likely will be set in communities throughoutNortheast Iowa, and one town --- Clarksville --- is battling aserious flood for the first time. Another more familiar withflooding --- Charles City --- is mourning the destruction of ahistoric landmark that had survived more than 100 years.

Whether people were frantically sandbagging to save homes andbusinesses from wild rivers or just out sightseeing Monday, allsaid they are part of history --- whether they like it or not.

Charles City

The city's suspension footbridge survived what people calledhistoric floods of 1993 and 1999. But the Cedar River finallyclaimed the structure Sunday night.

Built in 1906, the bridge became of symbol of the city. It hadserved as a place for romantic marriage proposals, a destinationfor leisurely walks and a place for wholesome fun. Residentsgathered at the intersection of Illinois and Gilbert streets to saygoodbye. A bridge support was still visible in the distance.

"It's 100 years of memories," said Jodie Hancock, 46."I remember being on it as a kid, and grandpa would shake itand scare us. It's really sad to look out and not see it."

The bridge was lost even after nearly $190,000 in improvements torehabilitate the historic span last year, which included jacketsaround piers and restoration of cross braces that deteriorated overtime. City leaders hoped the improvements would ensure the bridge'slongevity.

The National Weather Service said the Cedar crested at 25.3 feet at11:45 a.m. Monday. The previous high mark was 22.8.

The river is falling in Charles City. Flood stage is 12 feet, andthe water is predicted to recede to that point sometime Wednesdaymorning.

Dennis and Sara Walsh, who live just outside town, came in Sundayafternoon to help Dennis' nephew save belongings from his housenear the river. They took time for a walk on the bridge.

At 4:30 p.m., the couple said the police asked them to leave thestructure for safety reasons. Law enforcement taped it off, and thecouple were apparently the last to set foot on the bridge.

Late Sunday night, area residents heard steel suspension cablessnap. The raging current then swept the span away.

Dennis remembers warm summer days as a kid, jumping off the bridgeeven though he knew he wasn't supposed to.

"I hope they rebuild it. It's part of the town," he said.

Nashua

Down river, Nashua's business district was full of skid loaders andforklifts late Monday morning. People also filled the street, butshopping wasn't on their minds.

Sand from 24 dump trucks needed to be bagged to at least try tokeep the Cedar River at bay. The effort was successful at times,though the east side of Nashua was cut off by 3 feet of watercovering Iowa Highway 346.

Up to 50 homes sustained flood damage, Mayor John Phyfe said.Without the help of hundreds of dedicated people, though, he saidthe problem would have been much worse.

But when you're battling record floodwaters, he said, any victoryis good.

"This is the worst I've ever seen it," said Phyfe, whowas the city's police chief for 23 years before being appointedmayor two weeks ago.

The great floods of 1961, 1993 and 1999 will soon become anecdotescompared to this one. Normally, the Cedar falls 12 feet over thedam at Nashua. On Monday, the structure wasn't even visible.

A 4-foot wall of sandbags by the river and another 2 feet highprotected Jeremy Harrington's home on Sample Street. The smallhouse is the closest to the dam. As of late Monday morning, only alittle bit of water infiltrated Harrington's basement.

"This town really pulls together. There was not a doubt in mymind people would show up," an exhausted and thankfulHarrington said. "I haven't slept for 30 hours."

Normally he has to make a 40-foot descent from his yard to afavorite fishing spot on the river below the dam. Monday, he couldfish from his front yard.

He doesn't have flood insurance.

"I might think twice about that now," Harrington said.

A water main under the Cedar River feeding the east side of Nashuabroke because of flooding, leaving that portion of the city withoutdrinking water, Phyfe said. The rest of the town is under a boilorder.

Phyfe said a tanker truck full is coming from Des Moines, andshowers and bathrooms are available for use at the fairgrounds intown.

Clarksville

The Shell Rock River invaded the city for the first time. Normallyflooding is contained in woods on the outskirts, but Monday evenhomes about a mile away were threatened as the river rose tounprecedented levels.

The National Weather Service doesn't monitor the river level intown. But a few miles downstream in Shell Rock, the river crestedat a record 19.38 feet --- more than 7 feet above flood stage. Theprevious high mark was 17.7 feet.

In year's past, an elevated railroad bed acted like a dike keepinghomes on the west and south dry. Early Monday, rushing water washedout large sections of the bed, flooding about one-third of thecommunity, Mayor David Kelm said.

About 150 of 540 houses in Clarksville were affected by the floodand four businesses.

"Some of the homes had 6 to 7 feet of water in them. That'scatastrophic," Kelm said.

Before sunrise Monday volunteers started filling and distributingsandbags to limit damage. Volunteer firefighters and police wereable to evacuate people from 50 homes and block roads in time toprevent injury, Kelm said.

Volunteer firefighters used several boats to check homes and rescuethree people. One man was on the railroad bed with his dog when itgave way.

After that successful rescue, the boat was again dispatched toretrieve teenage brothers, Caleb and Dalton Ciavarelli. The boyswere attempting to save Caleb's 1,500-pound steer, a project forthe Butler County Fair.

"We could see (water) coming up, but I thought we could getout. But then the tracks washed away," Caleb said. "Ididn't get too scared."

No damage estimates were available in Clarksville, but the mayorsaid his community would draw inspiration from another community.

"We'll pull together, just like Parkersburg," Kelm said.

Waverly

Waverly residents know what to expect, and business and homeownersprepared for the worst. By mid-afternoon Monday, sandbags werealready stacked a few feet high in front of most storefronts withina few blocks of the Cedar River on West Bremer Avenue.

Water wasn't in the main business district yet, but people inWaverly knew it was only a matter to time since the river crestedat record levels in Charles City and Nashua earlier in the day.

By 6 p.m. Monday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported theCedar was at 15.53 feet in Waverly, or more than 2 feet aboverecord flood stage.

Kelly Engelken, executive director of the Waverly Chamber ofCommerce, thought the town was prepared.

"Hopefully, but there's no guarantees," she said.

Dump trucks full of sand, either provided by the city or purchasedprivately by property owners, kept volunteers busy all morning andafternoon.

Waverly Councilman Gene Lieb was among a crew helping fill bags toprotect the Laird Building, which houses several businessesincluding the chamber of commerce. In 1999, about 4 inches of watergot in the building. This time, things may be different.

"I think were are well-prepared. The city got advance noticeand warnings got out to residences and businesses on Sunday,"Lieb said.

Despite a wall of sandbags in front of Treasured Quilting and RCIElectric, which share the same building on West Bremer, both wereopen for business Monday. Melissa Wilkens, who owns TreasuredQuilting, said she got in five quilts to sew together.

With her $17,000 sewing machine sitting on five-gallon buckets incase water gets in the building, Wilkens was taking the valuablefamily heirlooms home.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to them," she said.

Her husband, Steve, who owns RCI, said they're as prepared aspossible.

"It's something you can't control," he said. "It'stoo late in life to worry."

Greene

City officials opened a command center at North Butler High Schoolafter the Shell Rock River took over downtown.

Mayor Bill Christensen said the community is coming together toensure everyone receives whatever help is needed.

"We've got so much to do," he said.

"The whole Main Street is under water," Christensenadded. "I've been here since 1966 and I've never seen anythinglike this."

The business district will remain a top priority as the recovery inGreene continues.

"I'm just sad. We don't have time to cry yet,"Christensen said.

Christensen's wife, Beverly, said rebuilding to the businesses willtake a tremendous effort.

"Our business district has taken on about 2 feet ofwater," she said. "I think it's going to be very hard formerchants to re-establish themselves, but we need every one ofthem.

"There was flooding in 1999, but they're saying that waspretty minute compared to this."

With Greene's annual River Days celebration scheduled for thisweekend, Bill Christensen said the status of the event is up in theair.

"The park is flooded and we aren't really sure what's going tohappen," he said.

Contact Matthew Wilde at (319) 291-1579 or matt.wilde@wcfcourier.com . Ross Boettcher contributed to this story.