Evacuations underway while a breach in a dike flood downtown Davenport, Iowa



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Levee fails, causing Davenport (Iowa) flooding
  • A temporary dike built to protect downtown Davenport has failed.
  • The waters were six feet high in one part of the city.

Part of downtown Davenport, Iowa, was flooded by flood waters up to six feet deep after the emergence of a temporary lift intended to restrain the rise of the Mississippi River on Tuesday.

"The temporary flood protection they put in place failed this afternoon and flooded part of downtown Davenport," said David Donovan, director of emergency management for the province. Scott County, at weather.com.

The floods hit about four blocks from downtown Davenport, with water points sometimes reaching six feet high, Donovan said.

The flooded area is mainly a business district, but there are some apartments. Donovan said fire crews went door-to-door in boats assisting evacuations. Several businesses in the area were forced to close when the flood came up and workers in the city struggled to strengthen the dike with sandbags.

The NWS sparked a sudden flood in the area due to the breach, and several roads in the area were closed, including Iowa Highway 22, from Davenport to Muscatine, and US Highway 67, to north of LeClaire.

The warning was lifted around 19:30. The meteorological service stated that the water had not retreated, but that it was not rising faster. Residents were asked to avoid the area.

"The floods are likely to worsen tomorrow, so stay alert, follow the instructions of local officials and law enforcement, and get ready to evacuate if necessary," the governor of the city said. Iowa, Kim Reynolds.

The NWS predicts that the Mississippi River will peak in the vicinity of Quad Cities, including Davenport, over the next two days. Water levels are expected to rise to one foot of the all-time record for the Quad Cities, which was 22.63 feet during the catastrophic midwestern floods of 1993.

"Because much of the Midwest has experienced heavy rains last fall, followed by the wettest winter ever recorded, soils remain saturated over a vast area," said Bob Henson. , meteorologist from weather.com. of rain to trigger additional floods as spring unfolds. "

Meanwhile, Davenport is at the mercy of rising floodwaters.

"We really can not do anything at this point … until the river recedes," Donovan said.

The floodwaters reached six feet in some areas of Davenport, Iowa, after the failure of a temporary lift.

(QC Drone)


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