Iowa Flood of 2008

As many of you know, the state of Iowa is starting to flood. I don’t mean a little water here and a little water there. I do mean Iowa Gov. Chet Culver has declared 44 of Iowa’s 99 counties disaster areas. I also mean that this flood is going to be worse than The Great Flood of 1993. This flood could be the worst flood that Iowa has ever seen.

Here is a list of some, but not all, of the areas around Eastern Iowa that have been majorly affected by the flooding are:

• Cedar Rapids, IA
• Iowa City, IA
  
• Marengo, IA
• Cedar Falls, IA
• Chelsea, IA
• Coralville, IA
• Monticello, IA
• Vinton, IA
• Belle Plaine, IA
• New Hartford, IA
• Palo, IA
• Kozta, IA
• Decorah, IA
• All of Johnson County
• All of Iowa County
• All of Linn County
• All of Benton County
• All of Buchanan County

At Coralville Lake in Coralville, IA, water is going to go over the spillway for only the second time in it’s 50 year existence (the first time being in 1993).

In Palo, IA, 80% of the town is expected to be flooded. In New Hartford, IA, 85% of the town is expected to be flooded. In Chelsea, IA, 100% of the town is flooded and tenants have been evacuated. In Kozta, IA, 100% of the town is flooded and tenants have been evacuated. Tenants have also been evacuated in parts of Decorah, Monticello, Vinton, Cedar Falls, Waterloo, Palo, Coralville, and others.

There are two rivers that are causing a lot of the flooding in Eastern Iowa. The Cedar River and the Iowa River. The Cedar River is causing the major flooding in Cedar Rapids, Palo, Vinton, Cedar Falls, and others. The Iowa River is causing the major flooding in Coralville, Marengo, Chelsea, Kozta, Belle Plaine, and others.

In Northeastern Iowa, the Maquoketa River is causing a lot of wide spread flooding as well.

This flood is ruining a lot of individuals lives. It is ruining many peoples homes, property, everything… Why??? Let me share a passage from The Bible…

Photo taken in Coralville, IA on 06/09/08.
Photo via GazetteOnline.com

Genesis 9
8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9 “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”
17 So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”

Maybe this passage can help people through this rough time. Everyone needs to know that this will end and our lives will eventually return back to normal.

We all need to come together as Iowans, help one another get through this, and help to rebuild our towns and communities.

To view more articles, photos, and stories on the Iowa Flood of 2008, go to GazetteOnline.com.