Iowa Flooding Leaves 36,000 Homeless

Below is a telling excerpt from AP on the chaos caused by the Iowa flooding. Keep reading more about the floods here.

As Iowa City hoped to elude the worst damage, the state had a multi-front battle on its hands. State officials warned of problems ahead for a string of towns in southeast Iowa along the Mississippi River, led by Burlington, a key railroad hub.

"It's likely that we will see major and serious flooding on every part of the southeastern border of our state from New Boston and down," Culver said. "We are taking precautionary steps, we are evacuating where necessary, but that is going to be the next round here."

Early Monday, more than 36,000 residents in 26 communities had been evacuated from their homes, said Kevin Baskins of the state Emergency Operations Center. Most of those _ 25,000 _ were in Cedar Rapids, and another 5,000 in Iowa City, he said.

Comments

[tora]

Let's prey they will all find their way back to normal lives..

[mari2JJ]

Sorry Iowans. Bush spent all our money in Iraq so no help in sight. Actually, even before that, they only provided toxic trailers for devastated New Orleans. You may be lucky if he ignores you.

[totaldisbelief]

So many good republican voting conservatives waiting for help from their government....good luck to them...I pray for their safety and well being.

[Kman2]

What do you mean? Iowa voted Gore in 2000 and for Clinton (twice). The Upper Midwest gave us Harkin, Wellstone, McCarthy (Eugene), Humphrey. Minnesota (Iowa's neighbor for the map challenged) hasn't voted Republican for Prez since Nixon in 72. Neither Liberal California nor Liberal Massachusetts can make that claim.

Ya want a list of East and West Coast Republicans? Arnold....­.Bloomberg­.....Reaga­n.....Nixo­n.....Gull­iani are from where again? Want more?

[brooklyncitizen]

are you from Iowa?
I'm learning more about these folks and found they are actually really educated; and yes more inclied to be democrats if not liberal....who'd thunk it? it ain't the south thats for sure.

[YankeeCanuck]

And the Governor is a Democrat, and the Democrats are now the majority in the state legislature.
I've met a few Republicans here, but they're voting for O this time.

[Coyote2]

Folks, There are TWO MONSTERS facing western civilization in the twenty-first century. We are only beginning to see their approach yet already we are on our knees, tears streaming down our faces, insisting that it cannot be so; that there must be a conspiracy somewhere.

After 60 years of unprecedented peace and prosperity and economic expansion in the western world, THE CHILDREN OF THIS FAT JUICY AGE SEEM TO HAVE A SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT, that this highly constructed world of ours is more real than the real world Mother Nature walks in. (Ronald Wright: A Short History of Progress)

We have been tricked into importing/exporting to the entire world that capitalist fundamentalism -the American Dream- to the point of resource scarcity. A system based upon endless growth will ultimately stab Mother Nature in her side and out will gush, not blood and water, but monsters. Wendigos.

That is why I blog with the Trickster moniker -COYOTE- because the mythology contains all the experiences of a people living with limited resources. 10,000 years ago North America was flush with supersized game animals such as giant buffalo and huge sloths. They mysteriously disappeared, and experts now believe that we ate them all. There are Coyote myths that tell this story.

And here we are again today: the Wendigos approach. Energy Scarcity and Climate Change will devastate the constructed world we live in; the story has just begun. Prepare.

[Photofarm]

LOL ah yes, the sky is falling because of capitalism. Go to China and see how much worse things are there.

[CaseyBabes]

One important fact most miss about China adopting capatalism­.......the­y ain't gonna go to war because of it. But capatalism will make them powerful enough to take back Taiwan as the USA and the useless UN stand by and watch.

[Coyote2]

Actually capitalism has proven to be be a very successful system, at least for setting one culture at an advantage to others. The problem is that capitalism both requires and promotes endless growth, which, either at petri dish or planetary level, means failure at some point.

I don't blame capitalism per se, but instead argue for a NEW ECONOMIC MODEL suitable to fit a future of a highly constructed world plus Energy Scarcity and Climate Change. I have offered capitalistic answers in previous posts. And YOU, what have you to offer besides excessive cynicism?

[pfc1369]

Have you been to China?

I lived there for 10 years.

Exactly what things do you think are "much worse"?

[wtflol]

The good news is FEMA has thousands of trailers sitting around that no one ever used.

[Grannysue]

Hey where's McNuts preacher telling them "they brought this upon themselves" or don't they have any gay people in Iowa? Where's the skinny twit from FEMA!

[GerryS]

BUSHCO(tm) where is Brownie when he's needed? Calling Brownie!

[andvoodoo2]

To those left homeless:
DO NOT move into FEMA trailers! They are poisonous and they will make you sick and may kill you! Take it from a New Orleanian who had and still has many friends living in FEMA trailers. I know many people who were made sick and I know one man who died from complications probably caused by a year in a FEMA trailer.
Save ALL of your receipts for EVERYTHING. FEMA MAY (key word) reimburse you for some of your expenses.
Don't hire contractors who aren't licensed and demand to see and copy driver's licenses. Thieves are descending on your area as I write this with one goal: TO RIP YOU OFF!
Make notes (or record) all of your conversations with insurance reps and FEMA reps. Take pictures and videos of your damage.
Hang in there. Stay strong. The people of the Gulf Coast know what you are going through and you are in our prayers.

[luziannagirl]

Great, great advice from andvoodoo2.

Keep each issue in a separate manila folder, with the most recent conversations & contacts on top.

Sometimes just the very act of holding such a folder, being seen making notes and taking pictures will keep the other side more honest and straightforward and less likely to pull something on you, or to let things slide.

Keeping these detailed records also helps combat the feeing of frustration and depression, because you have something tangible to show for what will become many hours of effort, even if it's just a handful of paper.

Also, it's invaluable legal evidence.

Might consider keeping a personal journal, also. Sometimes that comes in handy, esp to establish motivations, show evidence of mental anguish and set damages for any future court actions.

[Pete]

I wonder why all these right wing preachers aren't out in force, saying that God has caused this because of their sins!?!?!

Oh yeah, those people voted for Bu$h. Twice.

But perhaps it is still retribution....

[PAposter]

Good point!

[SaulGood]

i heard a women on cnn this morning say that she was told by her insurance company not to get flood coverage. and now said insurance company told her she's screwed. nice.

[Bpeirce]

Does not surprise me..It was probably State Farm Insurance. They stiffed all their customers in NO.

[luziannagirl]

SaulGood, we too were told (by whom? I don't remember, but some authority...) we didn't need flood insurance on our first house down in the old Gentilly section of New Orleans, because it was protected by federal levees and so not considered in a flood plain.

We took it out anyway, because our particular LOCALLY OWNED mortgage company had the good sense to require it. I can only imagine what some gigantic faraway mortgage holding corporation only interested in short-term financial gain, and who could care less about whether that was a sustainable economic model, much less about their mortgageholders' well-being and ability to keep paying the mortgage over the long run, required in the way of flood insurance.

That same house, about 3 ft off the ground, took on 3 to 4 feet of water in Katrina. People were rescued (we hope) out of the attic, by the broken transom window and hole hacked in the roof.

BTW, there are tens of thousands more people living in Northeast Louisiana's MS River "delta", courtesy of federal levees, who also don't have flood insurance because they've been told they don't need it. Some don't even know they are in a flood plain. It's never discussed. Few now remember The Great Flood of 1927.

[rambro2]

Where's the National Guard in this? over in Iraq?

[KBAR]

Nope. Cedar Rapids. Look it up.

[slobone]

Our local (Iowa) National Guard Unit just got back from Iraq 2 weeks ago (thank God). I have no doubt they're out sandbagging right now. If you look at the photos, you'll see a lot of guys in camos and National Guard t-shirts...

[Marijay33]

we all know what caused these floods. now lets stop living in denial and admit it's climate change. this is what happens when man fu*ks with the environment. i have a feeling this is nothing compared to what the 2008 hurricane season is going to be like. massive flooding is just the beginning.

We were warned

[GrainOSand]

Nature is not controlled by government and therefore natural disasters cannot be fairly blamed on government. Response to natural disaster however, is a completely different discussion where government implication in outcome is given heavy weight. A definition:

Preparation:
1. The act or process of preparing.
2. The state of having been made ready beforehand; readiness.
3. A preliminary measure that serves to make ready for something. Often used in the plural: preparations for the wedding.
Definition provided from Answers.com

It is expected of humane governments to be prepared to respond to natural disasters in such a way as to minimize the peril, danger, destruction, pain, and suffering of the citizens affected by the event to the degree that preparation for the unknown is possible. Suggestion to those in government who plan for natural disaster response, look at the trend data and position such that 36,000 homeless is dramatically reduced for the next occurrence of disaster. The trend data from this year is showing heightened storm activity resulting in the catastrophic. Be ye prepared to reduce suffering oh great and mighty government. Let yours be a proactive approach to suffering versus a reactive approach. If we have resources and time to clean Iraq’s house, then one can expect our own house to be spotless. I am sure the first responders in America are men and women of great talent and high professionalism. Do they have all they need to be the best they can be?

[k6007]

The 'flood plains', seem to be expanding.

[monty]

BLAME IT ON THE GAYS! It must be all their fault.

[only1Demvoter]

monty : Fartwell already tried that... Look where it got HIM !


-ralph

[CrapWhisperer]

.

"Iowa Flooding Leaves 36,000 Homeless"

Considering that 28% of republicans still believe that saddamz was behind 9/11 it should come as no surprise that they now probably believe he was/is behind this too thereby justifying invading Iran!

No ... it's not 1,2,3 but that's how these fools think!
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