Flooding + University of Iowa

Hancher Auditorium at the University of Iowa could flood to the stage level

The flooding at the University of Iowa has been intense. Officials are saying that Hancher Auditorium (the university’s performing arts center) could have water up to the stage! Unbelievable. I remember seeing Othello there when I was in high school.

University of Iowa’s President, Sally Mason, “has been in contact with the presidents of Iowa State University and the University of Illinois, who have offered their assistance. Don Guckert, UI vice president for facilities management, reported that technical and trades personnel from these schools are already en route to Iowa City.” via the UI Flood Blog.

University of Iowa officials are starting to take stock of the damage the Iowa River has done to the Iowa City campus.

University of Iowa president Sally Mason says Hancher Auditorium took a real hit. “The predictions are that water is likely up to stage level inside Hancher and I think people who have been in Hancher have a pretty good idea of what that means. That’s a significant amount of water,” Mason says.

Fifteen other buildings on campus have been flooded and officials estimate there is up to four feet of water inside the University of Iowa Museum of Art. Mason says even though the river has reached its crest, flood levels are expected to remain high for several days. “We have 15 facilities that we know of that are flooded. We have another seven that we’re concerned about. They are at risk of flooding. Although we have made herculean efforts to contain this…We did our best with the first 15, in many cases, but it wasn’t quite enough,” Mason says.

via Radio Iowa and the Cedar Rapids Gazette

Random personal aside — When I was a kid, I used to go to the dentist at the dental school at the University of Iowa. I would see a different dental student each visit. I liked the variety and my parents liked the rates :-) . They even were responsible for removing my wisdom teeth!

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