• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Fires/Accidents/Disasters / Floodwaters going down on Mississippi River in eastern Iowa

Floodwaters going down on Mississippi River in eastern Iowa

April 9, 2019 By Radio Iowa Contributor

Flooded park in the Quad Cities.

The Mississippi River crested at the Quad Cities on Sunday night a little over five feet above flood stage and it’s very slow in falling.

U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Mack Parker says whether the river is flooding or not, people should always wear a life jacket, tell someone where they’re going and when they’ll return, never boat alone, and stay far away from locks, dams, wing dams and jetties. “If you’re not using them, give them plenty of space. I do when I’m out patrolling,” Parker says. “Even if you’re up on top of the rollers, 200 or 300 yards and your engine quits, you’re in a bad situation. Give yourself plenty of time. Give yourself plenty of room. We have great search and rescue assets but the best asset is to prevent it from happening.”

Parker is in charge of operations and training for the Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Detachment on Arsenal Island, located between Davenport, Iowa and Rock Island, Illinois. While several lives were lost in the recent flooding along the Missouri River, Parker says they’ve had no deaths and no serious injuries on the Mississippi.

“We’ve had no major marine incidents because of this,” he says. “When it comes to flooding, preparation is probably 100% of it. If you can get preparation before time, get the word out that it’s coming, most people will do the right thing.” Parker has 12 years of experience responding to floods,

Sunset Park in Rock Island.

including several hurricanes. After a couple of years in the Quad Cities, he says it’s “refreshing” to see how well everyone supports each other.

“Our local community is one of the better communities when it comes to big government assets, state government, local government, all working together as far as communications, they do a tremendous job here,” Parker says. “We work all the way from Clinton Fire Department and Clinton Police all the way down to Buffalo, Muscatine and everybody in between.”

For example, each year during the “Floatzilla” event, Parker coordinates more than 30 boats to promote safety. Local agencies also train together on the Mississippi River to be ready for search and rescue emergencies. The Mississippi crested at Lock and Dam 15 around 6 p.m. on Sunday at 20.6 feet. That’s two feet shy of the record set at the Quad Cities in 1993. Flood stage there is 15 feet.

(By Michelle O’Neill, WVIK, Rock Island/Photos by Fred Carman)

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, News

Featured Stories

Congresswoman Axne favors Biden pandemic relief plan, Hinson not ruling out a ‘yes’

DOT plow crews struggling against blizzard conditions

Death penalty proposed for specific child murder cases

Iowa delegation breaks along party lines on Trump impeachment vote

Two northeast Iowa men admit to illegally harvesting ginseng

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

UNI adds two nonconference games to basketball schedule

Iowa State-Kansas postponed

Iowa-Michigan State postponed

Fire damage to Riverfront Stadium electrical system will cost Waterloo thousands

Iowa State at Kansas State postponed

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2021 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC