Iowa is Assessing Flood Damage, Losses in the Billions
On Sunday record flooding in parts of the U.S. Midwest caused fifteen campus buildings to be damaged, including the Iowa Museum of Art, at the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City.
"We did our best with the first 15 [to save paintings, books and documents] in many cases, but it wasn't quite enough," university president Sally Mason said. "Mother Nature took over."
"The campus has been hit hard. The city has been hit hard," said Michael Sullivan of Johnson County Emergency Management.
Flood waters prompted the removal of valuable items from the university's Arts Campus, and nearly 1,000 homes were inundated in Iowa City and neighboring Coralville, Sullivan said.
Summer school classes were suspended and many roads were impassable, though the university's hospital was operating.
Across Iowa, 36,000 people were displaced by the flooding and "millions of acres" were submerged, officials said.
In downtown Cedar Rapids, where the water shut a giant cereal factory, business owners were escorted to offices on upper floors via an elevated "skywalk" to retrieve laptop computers and documents.
Gov. Chet Culver said Iowa's losses totaled in the billions of dollars, with 83 of 99 counties declared disasters and seeking federal aid.
Four people have died in flood-related incidents -- including a woman found in her flooded home in Cedar Rapids -- and 12 have been killed by tornadoes.
The Iowa River in Iowa City reached its record crest, officials said, but water levels were still rising downstream.
Published on June 16, 2008
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