Eastern Iowans continue to deal with the flood waters of the Mississippi River. Water has closed the road at Highway 76 near Effigy Mounds. In Guttenberg, residents of Able and Essman Islands have been cut off from the mainland as their access road is under water. Sandbagging continues in McGregor and a dike is being constructed between businesses there and along Highway 18. The river is expected to crest in McGregor and Lansing Thursday; the crest is predicted for Friday in Guttenberg and Sunday in Dubuque.Quad Cities residents continue their watching and waiting to see how high floodwaters will rise. The river level today is 16-and-a-half feet and rising — flood stage is 15 feet. It’s expected to crest at 20 to 22 feet next week. Federal help -will- be available to help Iowa homeowners, businesses and municipalities recover from flooding, according to Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley. He says Uncle Sam will offer grants and low-interest loans as soon as it’s apparent there’s a need.Governor Vilsack has declared ten eastern Iowa counties along the Mississippi River disaster areas in anticipation of flood damage. All boat and barge traffic has been halted along 400 miles of the Mississippi from Muscatine to Minneapolis.
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