Missouri River flooding – State Joint Information Update
State of Iowa Seal
(DES MOINES) – The Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division, along with other state and federal agencies, are working closely with local emergency management agencies to prepare communities for the potential impacts of flooding.
Large amounts of rain and snow in the Missouri River Basin have caused the Army Corps of Engineers to increase outflows exponentially on the river. This will result in large areas of flooding in several states, including Iowa.
Woodbury County
· There were false reports concerning the impact of the flooding at the Sioux City water plant. There are currently no concerns with the Sioux City water plant.
Monona County
· Iowa DOT will be delivering six truckloads of dirt to the Blue Lake area, near Onawa.
· Monona County has requested 1,000 cases of drinking water to have on hand as an emergency back-up supply. Iowa HSEMD will be working with Monona County to deliver this water.
Harrison County
· Harrison County EMA has requested 150,000 sandbags to protect the H and P Levee District, which would protect the towns of Modale and Missouri Valley.
· Harrison County EMA also reports that Loess Hill Red Cross is currently planning for shelter locations should they be needed.
· Harrison County Humane Society has placed 50 dogs in shelters or foster homes. Harrison County will be requesting the Region III Pet Trailer be located in Harlan (Shelby County).
Pottawattamie County
· MidAmerican Energy has requested 5,000 feet of HESCO barriers to protect the MidAmerican power plant near Council Bluffs. The barriers were delivered Sunday, June 5, 2011.
Mills County
· Mills County EMA reports that the county remains mostly dry, but the drainage districts are starting to become full. Mills County has established a flood hotline at 712-527-4231
Fremont County
· U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continue to work to reinforce the levee near Hamburg. Some reports have incorrectly reported a 10-foot breach in the same area as the boil that the Corps and the Iowa National Guard were working to shore up on Sunday, June 5. The Corps has identified other potential weak spots around the initial boil and is working to strengthen those spots with continued sandbagging efforts; however, the Corps is not confident that the levee will hold.
· Because of the likelihood that the levee near Hamburg will eventually fail, the Corps is working on constructing a temporary levee or “berm” around the lower elevations in Hamburg. The berm will be approximately 10-12 feet high when complete and the goal is to complete it within the next three days.
· Approximately 300 people are being asked to evacuate from Hamburg at this time. Fremont County EMA reports that the evacuations have gone smoothly. The original estimate of evacuated citizens in Hamburg was 600.
· A temporary shelter has been opened at the high school in Sidney.
Donations and Volunteering
Donations of “stuff” (clothing, miscellaneous food items, household goods, etc.) are NOT needed at this time. This is not the time to clean out your closet to send to those in counties affected by flooding. Unsolicited donations cause additional staffing and storage problems that local officials do not have the resources to manage.
If you want to help, cash is best. It doesn’t need to be sorted, stored or distributed, and cash allows the receiving voluntary agency to direct the donation to the most urgent needs. To donate cash, visit www.aidmatrixnetwork.org/CashDonations/Default2.aspx?ST=Iowa
Those wishing to volunteer in a disaster-related capacity may sign up to do so at https://volunteer.truist.com/icovs/volunteer/register/.
More Links and Social Media
· Donation, volunteer, county-specific links and more can be found on the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEMD) website at www.iowahomelandsecurity.org.
· Those wishing to follow the events via Twitter should follow and use the hash tag #MORiver. This hash tag will be used throughout the duration of flooding along the Missouri River.
· Additionally, Gov. Branstad’s office has set up a webpage, https://governor.iowa.gov/news/missouri-river-flooding, for Iowans to get updates on flooding along the Missouri River.
Daily Flood Briefings
The Office of Governor Terry E. Branstad has partnered with the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division to provide live streaming audio and/or video of the daily briefings and press conferences regarding flooding along the Missouri River. Media outlets wishing to embed the audio and/or video to their website can find the embed code attached to this email. For more information regarding live streaming, please contact Jimmy Centers, Deputy Communications Director, Office of Governor Terry E. Branstad at jimmy.centers@iowa.gov.
For more information, please visit https://governor.iowa.gov/news/missouri-river-flooding/ or www.iowahomelandsecurity.org.
