Iowa flooding an awesome event to witness

I returned June 13 from the Iowa City and Coralville, Iowa, area with my son. We had been there since May 8 working on de-leading an old skeet and trap range at Tiffin, Iowa. Tiffin, Coralville and Iowa City butt up against one another.

We had heard a comment about this spring being like 1993 many times before our curiosity was piqued enough to ask, “What is ’93?” The answer was a description of the flood of 1993. The high water mark was still visible on some buildings, and the memory was indelible to the people of Coralville who had lived through that event.

Thunderstorm activity and tornado watches were an everyday occurrence.

A harbinger of what was to come this year were tornados hitting northern Iowa from storms that hit the Coralville/Iowa City area earlier. The dealership we purchased our project truck from was flattened along with most of Hazelton in late May by a category F5 tornado. Heavy rains with thunder and lightning were a daily occurrence almost every day we were there. Tornado watches were constant.

In early June, it began to look like a major flood was in store for Cedar Rapids. Up north, Cedar Rapids began to prepare for what was to become what is now being described as a 500-year flood event.

In Coralville, folks spoke openly of their concerns and experiences with the 1993 flood and wondered if what was surely to come would be worse.

It was.

The high water mark for flooding was 12 feet for the Iowa River at Cedar Rapids. Before we were forced to leave, 28.5 feet was the last measurement with expectations of 32 feet as the high water mark expected by today. Thunderstorms with heavy rains were predicted through the coming week, with predictions of a high water mark as much as 40 feet by the end of this week.

In Iowa City and Coralville, all last week the Iowa River was rising. Last Monday after work, we joined Coralville’s residents and businesses in the area filling sandbags for the expected flooding due sometime later that week. During that time while filling sand bags, we learned of the effects of the ’93 flood.

I left for Alaska last Tuesday for a meeting and returned to Iowa early Thursday morning. On Thursday, the river had crested its banks in Coralville, with fish swimming in the parking lot of the motel where we were housed. Shortly thereafter, the levee overflowed and there was water on the streets of Iowa City and Coralville. The thunderstorms that day were intense, and the rain the heaviest I had ever seen. The lightning and thunder were simply awesome to me.

Since our arrival, off and on we had discussed the impending flood situation with the locals on the job and had decided that if things were as bad as expected, we would leave Iowa and return to Alaska. I could not see becoming a victim and taking up shelter space when there were locals who had no other choice.

Our work area was not above the high water mark for the 1993 event, and Thursday, at an on-site meeting just before we were dumped upon by a deluge of rain with thunder and lightning as special effects, we were told by the local contractor that we would not have access to the project site within the next couple of days, given the rising water levels.

We prepared to bug out.

Thursday afternoon, after experiencing a deluge of rain replete with thunder and lightning, we stopped work early and returned to our motel to assess the situation. We were informed that we had to evacuate our room by noon Friday. We packed our gear and loaded the flatbed truck we had purchased for the project with items that we would need upon returning from Alaska.

It was after dark when we headed out to the project site near Tiffin. My son and I were moving the items from the truck to a connex we had on site while the rain soaked us and the thunder and lightning provided a disturbing, if spectacular, backdrop to the effort.

I likened the scene to an old horror flick.

Then, a particularly large bolt of lightning hit about 400 yards away and the immediate thunderclap was deafening. I then proceeded to injure my right arm trying to move too much, motivated by the incentive of flashing lightning striking way too frequently in the field our equipment occupied.

I mean, located in the midst of 20,000 pounds of steel comprising mining equipment is not exactly the place to be in a lightning storm.

We got the job done — or my son did, as I wasn’t much help with my right arm somewhat useless from that point on. I now have a unicep instead of a right biceps.

We tried to return to the motel to retrieve our luggage and airplane tickets, but encountered a police checkpoint. The senior officer proceeded to inform us the mayor had issued orders that no one was to be allowed beyond that point. Being the good citizen that I am, I ignored that order and proceeded on foot with my son through the rising waters to the motel, which had no power. The motel door locks, however, still had power and the card access worked. We found our luggage, ID and tickets by cell phone light and retreated back the way we had come. The water in the parking lot was only a foot deep. I wasn’t being a jerk; we had no other choice if we were to leave.

The rest of the night was spent in the cab of the truck in a motel parking lot near the Ely/Cedar Rapids Airport trying to sleep while Mother Nature split the sky with a light show that was simply awe inspiring and very intimidating.

The people of Iowa were courageous with a definite can-do attitude and irrepressible spirit. We were impressed by their commitment to preserving their communities. They will weather the flood, repair the damage and move on with their lives.

A minor comparison of Iowa with Alaska:

• Gas $3.94 per gallon for regular, with ethanol mix it was $3.84.

• Diesel was $4.59 per gallon.

• Food was compared by the total paid for a grocery cart of food, which was usually $150 or so, for what would cost us at least $250 to $300 here. Meat is definitely cheaper in the Lower 48. Deli meats could be as much as $3 a pound cheaper, depending upon the cut. Beef and pork were anywhere from 50 cents to $1.50 cheaper per pound.

I have never been to Iowa, before this trip. I am impressed with the people and their directness. Like Alaskans, they are easy to talk to. Like Alaskans, they have a definite get-the-job done attitude, no matter what it takes. I liked the “no excuses” attitude. Good people.

The flood waters are expected to recede in the Tiffin/Coralville/Iowa City area within the next two weeks.

Larry Wood is a Palmer resident.