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River Action non-profit impacted by flood in more ways than one

Its office on E River Drive was flooded after their HESCO barriers broke just after the breach downtown.

DAVENPORT, Iowa-- Parts of the riverfront in downtown Davenport remain a muddy, wet mess. But Kathy Wine with River Action hopes to get more people down, enjoying the river soon.

"I can't wait to get back on the river and have some sunny days with the river tamed, back where it's supposed to be," the executive director says.

River Action has plenty of events planned downtown and on the river this summer, from Floatzilla and Ride the River to Channel Cat talks and educational programs. But some of those events need to be tweaked with the high waters. Channel Cat talks have been delayed from May 28 and 30 until July 2 and 3.

And Ride the River on June 16, Father's Day, may have to be rerouted if floodwaters don't recede enough to uncover the bike trail.

"Everyone has to be safe and we're very conscious of those flood levels," Wine says.

And the flooding has impacted where River Action can get all this planning done. Its office on E River Drive was flooded after their HESCO barriers broke just after the breach downtown. The team has now moved to a temporary office about a block away upstairs from Isabel Bloom.

And the flooding has impacted them in more ways than one.

"It definitely does complicate things just like it does for everyone in the Quad Cities," program manager Philip Tunnicliff says.

But the disruption hasn't stopped their work with the river.

"We're working with the conditions we have now though they are inefficient if I must say so myself but we're getting it done," Wine says.

River Action is also putting together a River Alliance with several cities and towns along the Mississippi River. It's an effort to help with flood mitigation and improve insurance costs as a result. Wine says they're also working at lessening the severity of floods in the future.

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