Sandbagged

Home Sweet Home Safely (?) Sandbagged



More participatory floodblogging began at 7 AM today. I'm still confident -- we're a block and a half outside the 500 year plain -- but the landlord didn't want to take any chances.



They brought a great crew of 15 folks in, and we were done by 9:30. I helped them out bagging at their business -- a little -- but if you feel like thanking some nice folks, go have a brew at Carl & Ernie's 'Good Time' Pub and Grub. Corner of South Riverside and Hwy 1 in Iowa City. Sandbagged but open.



The city dropped off a second load of sand.



We were closely supervised by the guys.

Can't Get There From Here

Can't Get There From Here



The I-80 detour above is bad enough but the 380 detour is surreal:
Take Interstate 80 at Iowa City west to Interstate 35/Des Moines, north on Interstate 35 to U.S. 20, then east on U.S. 20 to Interstate 380 south or U.S. 218/Iowa 27 north.

Or, go south to the South Pole then north to the north Pole, then south again.

Iowa City Participatory Flood Photo Blog

Iowa City Participatory Flood Blog



Waters are entering the north doorway of the Iowa Memorial Union on the University of Iowa campus as of 5:00 Friday afternoon, and massive preparations for higher waters are evident all over lower campus. Here's Friday the 13th's Iowa City flood pictures:



Hubdred of students in a massive sandbag brigade line at the Main Library.



Elevation markers are painted all along North Madison Street on campus. This mountain is at the south end of the IMU.



"Lets get the whole Danforth Chapel in the shot," I say to myself out loud. "While you still can," says another photographer.



The Burlington Street dam is barely a speed bump under the rising waters.



North Riverside Drive by the fine arts campus, impassable.



Benton Street bridge near my house. Compare to this shot from Tuesday.

Here's the participatory part:

There's a load of sand in my driveway, and the landlord is bringing folks over to bag tomorrow. I suspect I'll be safe -- County Physical Plant Director David Kempf says the jail should be OK at 654 feet, and I'm at 656. As for work:



These folks are fishing in the parking lot at the Johnson County Administration Building. Employees (including me) spent the morning lifting stuff off floors and hauling essential equipment out to the Secondary Roads shop.

Eichhorn: No Senate Recount

Eichhorn: No Senate Recount

U.S. Senate candidate George Eichhorn conceded today, in an email to supporters.

"What is important now is for our party to come together behind our Presidential nominee, Senate nominee, our Congressional nominees and our local candidates," said the message, without naming Christopher Reed, who narrowly defeated Eichhorn.

"The Republican base is united against Tom Harkin's big government record," said the Reed campaign in response, "and now we must spread the message to all corners of Iowa."

Friday was the deadline for requesting recounts, Final canvass results Tuesday showed Reed narrowly above the 35 percent requirement for nomination.

Johnson County Preps for Evacuations, Road Closings, Office Move

Johnson County Preps for Evacuations, Road Closings, Office Move

County supervisors passed a mandatory evacuation notice at an emergency meeting Thursday night, and also considered contingencies for road closings and relocation of county offices as flood waters approach the county's Administration Building.

"It's a desperate situation, no doubt about it," Congressman Dave Loebsack told the meeting. Loebsack said Federal Emergency Management Agency director Dave Paulison will be in the area Friday.

"It's going to really hit transportation, specifically north and south," said county engineer Greg Parker. Shortly after the meeting, the Highway 965 bridge over the Iowa River closed. "There's a strong possibility the 380 bridge will be closed."

"There will be access in and out" of most areas, said Board assistant Mike Sullivan, "but there will be no direct routes for quite a while."

Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek said the first rural areas that may be evacuated would be the Cottage Reserve area at Lake MacBride and parts of Sand Road near Hills. While homes themselves may not be flooded, roads may be cut off. "Our first concern is the areas where we have only one way in and one way out" for emergency responders, he said.

If waters reach the projected levels by next week, Pulkrabek said, "it does potentially turn Hills into an island."

The county plans to maintain essential services even if the Administration Building is flooded, by relocating some staff and servers to other sites. "We're so close to the border line (of flood projections) we can't say. But before the water gets to the door, we become an island," said Facilities Manager David Kempf.

Kempf said the county jail has four feet of clearance from the expected high water mark, but the Ambulance building is near the edge. (If you're worried about me: my house is four feet higher than the jail. Though I'd feel better if I was back on top of the hill at the Bohemian Paradise of Gaslight Village...)

Recorder Kim Painter and Treasurer Tom Kriz said many of their services will be available on line, and Auditor Tom Slockett said payroll and accounts payable services would continue.

In one example of how law and nature can conflict, Kriz said there is no provision in state law to postpone a mandatory tax sale scheduled for Monday. If the Administration Building is closed. Kriz said the sale would be held at the courthouse, high on a hill.

DEMS POSTPONE CONVENTION

DEMS POSTPONE CONVENTION

Chairman Scott Brennan announced today that the Iowa Democratic Party has postponed its State Convention due to the massive flooding and severe weather across Iowa.

“In the interest of public safety and out of concern for Iowans impacted by the flooding and severe weather, we have decided to postpone the Iowa Democratic Party State Convention,” said Brennan. “As Iowans, we encourage everyone to work hand in hand with their neighbors on flood relief efforts across our state.”

The Iowa Democratic Party will announce a new date and venue for the convention in the coming days.

HawkeyeGOP reports: "As of now the GOP State convention is on for this weekend." (No time stamp on the post. GOP now postponed till July 11-12.

Iowa City Flood Blog: County Offices At Risk

Guess What We Did At Work Today



The Johnson County Administration Building may be at risk from rising floodwaters if Tuesday's Army Corps of Engineers flood estimates hold, the county's facilities manager told the Board of Supervisors Wednesday. The Administration Building was sandbagged, except for the main entrance, by midday Wednesday.

(Long time readers, of course, know that's where my day job is located.)

Facilities Manager David Kempf said if Corps projections hold, flood waters may reach the building by late Saturday. The ambulance department, a storage facility, and an annex that houses the Veterans Affairs office, called the Fisher Building locally, are also at risk.



The egalitarian sandbagging crew ranged from elected officials to part-time employees. Between shovels of sand during the sandbagging, Board Chair Rod Sullivan said Kempf would notify him if the building became inaccessible due to floodwaters, and the Board would then consider an emergency Sunday meeting to make further decisions.



Conservation Director Harry Graves and Assistant Planning and Zoning Administrator R.J. Moore shovel sand, while minute taker Megan Grant holds the bag.

Clinton Enemies List

Clinton Enemies List

NY Times writes that under the unity rhetoric, the Clintons aren't forgetting:

While Mrs. Clinton has a short list of people who disappointed her, Mr. Clinton, who reportedly has an encyclopedic memory of all the people he has helped, employed or appointed over the years, apparently has a far longer one, the campaign officials said.

The lists maintained by supporters tend to be less formal documents than spoken diatribes, with offenders’ names spat forth in rants, gripe sessions and post-mortems.

Several names and entities are common among various list makers. The lineup invariably begins with A-list members like Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico; Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, the House Democratic whip; Gregory B. Craig, Mr. Clinton’s lawyer in his impeachment and trial; David Axelrod, Mr. Obama’s chief strategist; Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri; and several Kennedys. Some members of the Democratic Party’s rules committee, the state of Iowa and the caucus system in general are also near the top.

It's nothing personal. It's strictly business.

A must read that names names.

More clips:

From last weekend: A Kos symposium on Why Clinton Lost. Well-thought and non-snarky; main points include poorly run campaign, the war, "she didn't channel supporter passion," going negative, and "the nutcracker."

Is this a Virginia thing? Like his predecessor George "Macaca" Allen, Sen. Jim Webb appears to have a Confederate thing. May not help him get on Obama's ticket...

Setting the bar underwater: Head of Republican Senate Campaign Committee says losing eight seats is a good year.

Canvasses Change Few Votes In Close Primary

Canvasses Change Few Votes In Close Primary

County canvasses on Monday and Tuesday changed few votes in two close Republican contests from last week's primary.

Christopher Reed held both his lead in the U.S. Senate race over George Eichhhorn and, more importantly, his percentage above the required 35 percent.

Canvass numbers had Reed at 24,916 votes, for 35.26 percent. Eichhorn had 24,392 votes, for 34.52 percent. Third place candidate Steve Rathje won 21,106 votes, for 29.87 percent. The 249 write-ins keep those percentages from adding to 100.

News reports on election night had Reed with 25,159 votes and 35.29 percent, with Eichhorn at 24,756 and 34.71 percent.

Eichhorn is still considering a recount. Actually, that would be recounts plural, as many as 99, since recount requests are made at the county level.

Recounts are officially conducted by a three member recount board. Each candidate would choose a representative. Then the Eichhorn and Reed representatives would together choose a mutually acceptable, and presumably neutral, third member. Auditor's offices would assist the recount board, but the recount board would make the decisions.

Peter Teahen has said he's not likely to ask for a recount in the close 2nd Congressional District race. Canvass results give Mariannette Miller-Meeks 7,372 votes and 43.6 percent, a gain of 12 votes from election night. Teahen was at 7,255 votes and 42.9 percent, unchanged from election night. Third place candidate Lee Harder of Mount Pleasant third with 2,258 votes and 13.5 percent, down 16 votes from election night news reports.

No changes in the Johnson County numbers in those close races. Johnson County tallied two provisional ballots and two absentees after election day; all four were Democrats.

Campus, Coralville Cope With Flood: Iowa City Flood Photos 2

Campus, Coralville Cope With Flood: Iowa City Flood Photos 2


Though the overflow of the Coralville Dam spillway is now not expected until Wednesday morning it was 8:30 tonight, the outlook for the Iowa City area is being summed up in three words: "Worse Than 1993." The University of Iowa Campus, and other low-lying parts of Iowa City and Coralville, are already seeing the impact.



Homes on Edgewater Drive in Coralville are now well beyond the edge, as this fellow kayaks down the street.



A bubbling manhole cover on North Riverside Drive. The street was flooded out in 1993 but was still open Tuesday night.



Fraternity Row, as seen from the arts campus.



Hancher Auditorium, protected by sandbags.



Another view of Hancher, with the closed Park Road bridge in the foreground. Lower City Park is completely submerged.



Also submerged: this walkway at the Iowa Memorial Union.



Outside the River Room at the IMU; the name wasn't meant this literally.



Sandbags at the Iowa Advanced Tech. Laboratories. I had to look the name up -- everybody in Iowa City still calls it the Laser Center.



South end of Rocky Shore Drive.



Officials are encouraging people to stay out of the way in flooded areas, but that didn't stop these two from going all the way to the end of Dubuque Street. (I have an excuse; I'm a professional journalist.)



Officials are also telling people to stay out of flood waters. Instead of going for the easy joke about dogs and fire hydrants, I'll just say: Buddy, your bus isn't stopping at Dubuque Street and Kimball Road for a LOOOONG time. The scene inspired this exchange:

Kids: "Can we go in the water too? That guy is!"
Mom: "No! There might be sewage in there."
Dad/Professional Journalist: "Yeah, would you walk in poop?"
Two Young Women Taking Pictures: "We would! Just to get the picture."
Dad/Professional Journalist, laughing: "You're not my kids, go ahead."





The Benton Street Bridge, two blocks from my house. A homeless veteran died under this bridge recently; even those without homes are losing their homes to the flood. The camping, non-shelter homeless often stay close to the river, and indigent fishermen are often seen along the now-underwater Iowa River bike trail.

Obama Cancels Cedar Rapids Due To Flood

Obama Cancels Cedar Rapids Trip Due To Flood

Barack Obama's scheduled Wednesday visit to Cedar Rapids has been cancelled due to the flood emergency.

"After talking to Governor Culver’s staff, the Obama campaign wanted to ensure that no resources were diverted away from Iowans devastated by the floods," the campaign said in a press release.

The Democratic nominee-to-be had been scheduled to hold a by-invitation town hall forum on the economy at Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School. He visited Kennedy High in February 2007 in his first Iowa appearance as a presidential candidate, on the day of his announcement.

Iowa City Flood Scenes

Iowa City Flood Scenes

Bargain hunters had a big opportunity at Houseworks in Iowa City Monday, but had to climb over sandbags to take advantage of the resale/consignment store's 50 percent off flood sale.

More scenes from Iowa City's first 500 year flood in 15 years: (Update: More from Tuesday)

Just south of Houseworks, sandbagging crews were still working in the early evening.

Feline residents of the Iowa City Animal Shelter were taking advantage of their sandbagged outdoor play area, as evening showers started.

Sandbags at the Iowa Memorial Union, east of the river. Further north, Dubuque Street near Mayflower Hall is under water, as is most of Lower City Park. On the west side of campus, arts classes and offices are being moved out of several buildings, including including Hancher Auditorium, Voxman Music Building and Clapp Recital Hall, the Theatre Building, the Museum of Art, the Art Building and Art Building West.

Flooding hasn't stopped the fine dining at the Iowa River Power Company, but the water flowing over the nearby dam made for a treacherous view. Along with other debris, a 55 gallon plastic drum bobbled in the water like a rubber duck, dwarfed by the flooding.

At the Coralville Dam, water is expected to crest the spillway, 712 feet above sea level, during the overnight hours. The blue line is the 716.75 foot record from 1993.

At the spillway, a hurricane party atmosphere prevailed, with dozens of people standing where water will be flowing in a few hours. The road over the dam will be closed, and a nonstop line of cars trekked across for one last chance at the view.

Outflow at the dam is being incrementally cranked up. This is what 18,000 cubic feet per second looks like, flooding the lower campgrounds area. On Saturday, people waded across the submerged road to get an up-close look, but by Monday the area was cordoned off with stern NO FOOT TRAFFIC BEYOND THIS POINT signs. Outflow will be increased to 20,000 cubic feet per second Tuesday morning, and 21,000 cubic feet per second Wednesday.

Barack Back to Kennedy High

Barack Back to Kennedy High

Iowa's clearly an Obama priority; he's making his second stop in the state in three weeks Wednesday at Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School. It's an invite-only morning event billed as an economic town hall meeting.

Long-time Obama watchers will remember that Kennedy High was the scene of Obama's second event as a presidential candidate. In February 2007, he announced in Springfield, then flew to Cedar Rapids (where I was liveblogging)

Baby Update

Baby Update



Told you I was burned out on political writing this weekend, and fortunately I have a grandson to show off to my readers.



Elias turns three months old this week.



Koni's cool with me making her a grandma at 39 ("step" is not in the vocabulary of The Family With Five Last Names), and is still handy with a ba-ba. Uncle Ethan is only five, after all.



Jimiya of course always loves getting her picture taken; Daddy David, not so much.



OK, three human being posts in a row is enough; I promise my readers and editors I'll have some actual content next.

Smallest Farm Tour

Smallest Farm Photo Update



Political writing is feeling anticlimactic at the moment. The Democrat in me is glad for the Hillary endorsement, but the journalist in me realizes that a convention fight would have been great theater. Plus, I'm still not sure how to cope with having caucused for the winner, after my track record of Gary Hart, Jesse Jackson, Tom Harkin, Bill Bradley, and Howard Dean. This is a weird place for me.

So instead, welcome to the Smallest Farm in Iowa. Mr. Hoot Hoot (named by my then much younger daughter) was the only piece of equipment salvaged from my old garden, and stands ready to terrify any wabbits who are too stupid to see that he's plastic.



Companion planting is more effective; the eggplants are surrounded by catnip to scare away the flea beetles (and get the Furry Three buzzed)



The first pepper is starting much sooner than I expected.



Sunflowers are knee hight and should make a massive north wall on the northern half of the Farm.



Down on the South Forty, the pole beans are starting to pole, and the boys are calling them "beanstalk beans."

Dam That's A Lot Of Water

Dam, That's A Lot Of Water



My guys at the top of the Coralville Reservoir spillway. That wavy blue line on the upper right is the 1993 record. Water will probably be flowing where they're standing in a few days.



Off in the distance, the roof of a picnic shelter, looking like a floating Asian hat.



The panoramic view



The road to the outflow pipe is under water but only about 18 inches deep, so people were wading across.

The thing I'll never forget from `93 is the smell -- that dead fish ambience that lingered for months.