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My daughter and I arrived home on Sunday evening from attending a wedding on the east coast, to find a rapidly rising Upper Iowa River already above flood stage.
About 7:15 am on Monday, we got the word that we were under a mandatory evacuation. We grabbed important papers and the cats, piled into the MINI, and headed for the high ground near Luther College on the north side of town. Not 15 minutes later, we heard that they had closed the main bridge connecting the two sides of town over which we had just passed. With US-52 also closed, if you needed to get to the south side of town you had to travel almost 60 miles north and west to get there!
The river crested just after lunch at 17.9 feet (the previous all-time record was set in 1941 at 15.2 feet). The water level got within a foot or two of the top of the levee. We hung out at a friend's house on the north side of town, not knowing if our house was taking on water in the basement (had the levee failed, the water level would have almost reached the second floor of our house). Fortunately, the Army Corps of Engineers did themselves proud when they built the Decorah levees and they held up beautifully. The "all-clear" was sounded about 9 pm, and we returned home to find our house--and even the basement--bone dry. Basements in houses as close as only one block away from us had started to take on water.
It was a pretty nerve-wracking and scary experience. Had the river crested just another foot higher, the impact would have been catastrophic. We feel blessed, especially with so many towns and people impacted to our south.
"...indeed the love that the horses of the Rangers bore for their riders was so great that they were willing to face even the terror of the Door, if their masters' hearts were steady..." --- J.R.R. Tolkien
Its a mess but what can you do. I spent my day today sandbagging would have rather been enjoy an afternoon eating icecream If I can still move tomorrow Ill be back at it again in Coralville. Fun Fun
I'm guessing that the Chinese restaurant where our group of MINIs stopped for lunch on the way to Galena last month is not in a very safe spot, situated near the intersection of US-6 and 1st Ave...
Thanks for the pics HR. The magnitude of the impact across the eastern half of the state is hard to fathom.
"...indeed the love that the horses of the Rangers bore for their riders was so great that they were willing to face even the terror of the Door, if their masters' hearts were steady..." --- J.R.R. Tolkien
I'm recalling all of our MINI food stops over the past year...first it was the Breitbach's fire, then I hear that the Peking Buffet has flooded, then I see the pic of the Coralville Sonic under water...
If anything happens to the Log Cabin in Galena, I think I'll totally freak.
"...indeed the love that the horses of the Rangers bore for their riders was so great that they were willing to face even the terror of the Door, if their masters' hearts were steady..." --- J.R.R. Tolkien
I met some you you last fall for the HHH drive here in WI. I'm glad to hear you folks haven't sustained the damage so many people in our states have. We had to bail water from our basement during the heaviest rains (old farmhouse with a stone foundation). Madison itself wasn't too hard hit. A town about 10 miles away me was evacuated for fear of the dam bursting. They were lucky and it held. We are all hoping for a good stretch of dry weather!
I'm recalling all of our MINI food stops over the past year...first it was the Breitbach's fire, then I hear that the Peking Buffet has flooded, then I see the pic of the Coralville Sonic under water...
If anything happens to the Log Cabin in Galena, I think I'll totally freak.
What an interesting observation! I wonder what it means??????? Maybe we spared Jon's Ice Cream place by not showing up.
ROHERYN -- 2011 MCS SO/W -- 
RIP (Horace): 2010 MCCSa HzB/B; His (Capt. Jack Aubrey): 2011 MCSa SO/B; Hers (on order) 2012 MCCSa BRG2/B
If I can still move tomorrow Ill be back at it again in Coralville. Fun Fun
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