Flooding Worries Not Over Yet

Highway 92 West of Oskaloosa looked like this just 9 hours before re-opening on Wednesday evening

Oskaloosa, Iowa – Even with a nice day without rain, Mahaska County Emergency Manager Jamey Robinson wants to remind people of the dangers flash flooding can bring.

The ground is still saturated, and more rain is in the forecast, once again, starting Thursday night. Robinson encourages everyone to use caution, as streams and creeks may rise again quickly and you may encounter water or flash flooding without notice.

Two pumps were retrieved by the City of Eddyville from the Corp of Engineers. The pumps are now in place to help protect vital infrastructure for the city. Red Rock Dam will be releasing more water from the dam, as their storage capacity is quickly diminishing. Robinson hopes that with all of the recent experiences in flooding, over the past few years, that things will go more smoothly if the time were to come to take action.

Signs such as this one during a flood bring on such an ironic meaning at times like this

As of this article’s press time, Robinson has stated that all roads that had been closed are now open in Mahaska County. Robinson says to report any roads that may have collapsed or become dangerous to the Mahaska County Secondary Roads Department.

With some luck our weather pattern, which is similar to last year, will break and we won’t have the flooding that plagued our area and the state.

As always, use extra caution when driving at night, as water across a roadway is extremely difficult to see.

REMEMBER: Turn around, Don’t drown.