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Cedar Rapids residents evacuate homes in preparation for flooding

On Sunday at 6:15 p.m. The Cedar River at Cedar Rapids surged passed the river’s 12 ft. flood stage. At that same time, hundreds of volunteers swarmed aro...

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — On Sunday at 6:15 p.m. The Cedar River at Cedar Rapids surged passed the river's 12 ft. flood stage. At that same time, hundreds of volunteers swarmed around a parking lot, shoveling sand into bags and tossing them into the back end of pick-up trucks to be driven to areas in need.

"It's a lot busier today than it was yesterday, but you know the thing is everybody pulled together this past week," said Shawn Leuck of Cedar Rapids, who spent Sunday afternoon filling sandbags with his son.

The sandbags wind-up at homes like that of 11-year-old Logan Cassell's.

"I just don't want this to happen and it's just really nerve-wracking," said Cassell, minutes away from climbing in the car and driving away from his home in the southwest quadrant of Cedar Rapids.

Cassell's family has plans to stay at a local Hotel 6 for at least a week while they wait out the flooding.

The City of Cedar Rapids is asking residents and businesses who live within the 28 ft. flood zone to leave by 8 p.m. on Sunday evening.

The Red Cross has two stations set-up in Cedar Rapids for residents impacted by flooding.

The river is expected to crest at 23 feet on Tuesday morning and is expected to recede below flood stage on Saturday, October 1.

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