River levels are on the rise, and the Mississippi River is forecast to creep out of its banks. In the Quad Cities area, preparations are underway, but outside of the area flooding rivers are already causing problems.
On Friday, September 23, workers in Clinton, Iowa started installing flood gates. The Regional Water Reclamation Facility announced that they will be installed at 9th Avenue North. They will stay in place for the foreseeable future, according to a statement from the city's Public Works Department.
The Mississippi River at Davenport is expected to crest at 17 feet on Wednesday, September 28. In response, the City's Flood Plan has been activated, according to the city website. This means that "Closed Road" and "High Water" signs will be put in place (starting at South Concord), sandbags will be staged for anyone along South Concord that is impacted, and boat docks at launch sites will be removed. Click here to find out where to pick up sandbags and to see a more in-depth look at the City's Flood Plan.
In Clarksville, an unknown number of evacuations are underway after the weather service says a levee on the Shell Rock River failed. Emergency managers also reported a number of closed county roads due to high water.
Further downstream residents of Cedar Falls, Waterloo and Cedar Rapids are preparing for what could be the worst flooding since 2008, when the Cedar River displaced thousands of people, the Des Moines Register reports. Leaders in Cedar Rapids say they need more help preparing for a near record flood as the Cedar River is expected to hit its second highest crest ever on Monday at 24 feet, which is 12 feet over flood stage.
On Friday, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad signed a disaster proclamation for 13 Iowa counties affected the flooding, which includes Cedar County. This proclamation allows state resources to be used, and also allocates grants for individuals affected the flooding.