TO CLOSE

A Union Pacific train carrying industrial sand and soybean oil left its tracks on Sunday, September 23, 2018, near Alton, Iowa.
Sioux County Sheriff, special to the registry

A Union Pacific train carrying industrial sand and soybean oil left its tracks on Sunday, September 23, 2018, near Alton, Iowa. 38 of the 95 cars derailed on a bridge over the flooded Floyd River. (Photo: Sioux County Sheriff / Special to the Registry)

Authorities reacted Sunday morning to another train derailment in a small town in northwestern Iowa after a week of heavy rains.

The Sioux County authorities stated that no one had been injured in the accident and that no hazardous material had sunk into the Floyd River or could be detected in the area. Air above Alton, near the place where the train crashed on Sunday.

In an email, Raquel Espinoza, senior director of corporate communications for Union Pacific, said that "the recent floods may have contributed to the accident".

The massive accident followed the days of heavy rains in the region, which had raised the river downstream of the railway bridge to a record high earlier this week. By early Sunday afternoon, the Floyd River was still barely above flood level at 13 feet, said meteorologist Kyle Weisser of the Sioux Falls National Meteorological Service in South Dakota. .

Espinoza said 37 of the train's 95 cars had derailed. The train en route to North Platte, Nebraska, Mankato, Minnesota, was carrying industrial sand and soybean oil. Part of the sand poured into the river.

Twenty derailed cars fell into the river, according to Union Pacific. The bridge under the train was destroyed.

In an aerial video posted on Facebook, the Sioux County Sheriff's Office shows a row of mutilated cars in the Floyd River. The accident occurred on Sunday morning around 4:30 pm, said Alton City administrator Dale Oltmans.

Oltmans said the bridge over the river was "gone … in pieces under the train". Several local fire departments, county officials and Union Pacific staff members responded to the accident early in the morning.

Mr Oltmans said that people living three or four blocks from the bridge had heard the big accident, the second derailment of the year in northwestern Iowa.

June 22 32 freight cars carrying crude oil derailed in the Rock River, spilling thousands of gallons of oil. The river also experienced heavy rains in the days leading up to the incident.

Weisser said the area around Alton had received 4 to 8 inches of rain earlier in the week. According to meteorological service measurements, Alton received 4.58 inches of rain between Tuesday and Friday.

Heavy rains forced the city to close a section of Third Avenue that passes over the river, said Oltmans. It was still closed from Sunday afternoon.

The Floyd River, said Weisser, peaked Thursday afternoon at 21.96 feet – about 12 feet above the flood level. When the train derailed, meteorological service measurements showed that the fallen cars were temporary dams for the river.

Espinoza said the Union Pacific is looking at weather forecasts and the environmental conditions in which trains run, she said. The company is urging its crews to be safe if they encounter a weather-related problem that could affect the train's ability to get off the tracks.

Part of the accident investigation will include any communications from the crew regarding his trip, Espinoza said.

The sheriff's office also issued an alert Sunday afternoon, advising drivers to avoid crossing Alton to allow the authorities and their equipment to clean up the wreckage.

Cedar Rapids getting ready for the river at the ridge

As in northwestern Iowa, other areas of the state received large amounts of rain last week, causing some cities to flood and at least one to prepare for this eventuality.

According to the meteorological service, in the northwest corner of the state, rains have inflated and flooded parts of Mars and Spencer with Alton.

Rod Donavon, a meteorologist with the Des Moines National Weather Service, said Sunday there were only minor floods in the Des Moines, Iowa and Cedar River basins. Floods have decreased as excess water moves south into larger watersheds, he added.

However, Cedar Rapids officials were still preparing Sunday for the Cedar River to get there. According to a press release, the teams connected the storm sewers in areas near the river to prevent water from entering the sewer system, which would lead to flooding of the roads. The city has also closed several roads near the river.

According to data from the weather service, the river will peak in Cedar Rapids late Tuesday at 17.5 feet, said Donavon. He added that the ridge could cause flooding in the lowlands near the river.

According to the statement, officials at Cedar Rapids intend to reassess the river's projections on Monday and will decide if further action is needed.

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