Alexis Carson, a resident of Southeast Iowa (not sure if Alexis is from CJ…?), left a comment today that gives a lot of insight as to what’s going on right now in Columbus Junction, Columbus City and Conesville. The bottom line is that the gas station and grocery store are now inaccessible to residents in the area.
The levee we built broke on the side closest to Grandview on 92 at about 7:00 last night. Columbus City is now without water and has been since 11:00 yesterday. Columbus [Junction] still has water but we have been advised not to drink it. All of the downtown area from the motel to Economart is now well underwater. All that can be seen of the senior center and bowling alley is their roofs.
The crest isn’t expected until tomorrow at the earliest so we are all just waiting to see what else we will lose. The National Guard has been staying at the elementary and are directing traffic and keeping people away from the water’s edge.
Everyone has pulled together well and we are having a community supper tonight to thank everyone for all their hard work. The Red Cross has a shelter in the Methodist church for those who have no where to stay.
Cabins on the Cedar River in Conesville have been hit hard as well. At least one cabin has floated away so far, and many others are in danger. Everyone has moved out of the cabins and is waiting for the water to go down to return to see what is left.
We all thank you for your concern and prayers.
More information from the State Emergency Operations Center after the jump…
Water is rising behind the IC & E Railroad Bridge located downstream of the confluence of the Iowa and Cedar Rivers.
River levels have forced local officials to order an evacuation of the entire town of Fredonia, and lower portions of Columbus Junction.
Nursing Homes residents in Columbus Junction have been relocated to Washington, Iowa.
via IowaFlood
Thanks, Eric, for putting your blog space to use in this manner. Spoke with my Mom last evening. She lives near the school, pool, and nursing home, so she is high and dry. She and my sister had been down to the Methodist Church and then walked down to the 92 bridge to see how bad it was. Columbus City lost water for two days and Junction for a day. No drinkable water yet without boiling. Senior Center had water up to the eaves. They had moved everything out of the building well before, so the only loss may be the building. The Dollar Store and Econ-o-mart may not have moved their inventory, so there could be some major losses there, especially since the Econ-o-mart main window gave way. There was some concern that the water would top the rise north of the State Bank, but only got as far as the low side of the parking area there. Water extended all the way to the Car Wash, Mary’s, and the highway on the west side (we knew this area as Mad Creek or Monkey Run which ran all the way to the river just south of Toddtown. The motel apparently moved everything up to the second floor which might have prevented more of a loss. Medical Clinic, which had been open a whole three weeks is almost totally submerged. In my lifetime, I had seen the river come out more than once and water in the Fairgrounds is almost tradition, and I had heard stories of it reaching the railroad tracks in the towns early history before there were levees to speak of, but this is as bad as it could get. Stacy Lewis got some great pictures of the area as it happened. It is hard to be 900 miles away when you would like to be pitching in to help.