Iowa Residents Flee Lowlands in Face of Flooding

Residents began evacuating low-lying areas of the city Wednesday as flooding along the Cedar River reached a record level following a night of torrential rain.

There were no immediate estimates on the number of evacuees, but Mayor Jim Erb advised anyone living along the river or nearby Hires Creek to be ready to leave the north-central Iowa town of 8,000 people, about 45 miles northwest of Waterloo.

“The river crested and was going down last evening--and then we got the 6 to 8 inches of rain,” Erb said.

It was the second downpour in the region since the weekend. Early Monday, as much as 9 inches of rain fell elsewhere in north-central Iowa over five hours, and at least one person died.

Erb said the river reached 22 1/2 feet Wednesday, a foot higher than in 1993, the last time there was major flooding here. That was a year that saw flooding across the Midwest.

Gov. Tom Vilsack issued a disaster proclamation Wednesday for four counties. Four other counties were covered by a similar order Monday.

The Iowa Army National Guard was hauling thousands of sandbags to Charles City, and thousands more sandbags were being stockpiled at Waterloo.

Rain continued falling Wednesday across parts of northern Iowa and into southern Wisconsin, where water closed some streets and highways and thousands of residents were without power.

One man died Monday in Floyd County when his car was swept away in a swollen creek.