Missouri River flooding in July.
With forecasts calling for up to five inches of rain over three days this week, several counties in southwest Iowa are preparing for more Missouri River flooding.
Michael Bertacini is an emergency management specialist with Pottawattamie County. He says around 40 homes are in the area of concern in the northwestern part of the county. “Most of those residents were actually out of their homes before this happened,” Bertacini says. “It’s just prolonging the effects of the flooding. These people have been flooded since March so it’s a bad deal for them because some people haven’t even been in their homes from March.”
Bertacini says it’s possible the impacts could mirror what the county saw this spring, though the river could crest about a foot lower. “All the county roads in the northwest part of the county on the west side of I-29 were basically underwater. I-680 and I-29 also went under,” he says. “It forces the water table to rise in Council Bluffs.”
Bertacini says people who live in Council Bluffs could see basement flooding if the storm sewers are not able to keep up with the heavy rainfall. In a joint news release, Pottawattamie, Harrison and Mills counties say it’s unclear where the heaviest rains will fall, so people should stay alert.
(Thanks to Katie Peikes, Iowa Public Radio)