OTTUMWA, Iowa — Flooding along the Des Moines River has left hundreds of southeast Iowa residents homeless, but has not claimed any lives.

Rural areas are hard hit. Precise numbers on just how many homes are flooded are difficult to establish. Near Ottumwa, the Valley Village trailer court’s 150 homes are swamped. Rabbit Run Road has dozens of homes under water.

But cities along the river have thus far emerged in remarkably good shape. A brief evacuation order in western Ottumwa was lifted when thunderstorms missed the area.

The Red Cross is operating a shelter in Ottumwa but is not allowing access to the facility. Some of the displaced residents in Wapello County are staying with family on higher ground, while others are using campgrounds in Ottumwa Park.

Area relief efforts include more than 1,600 meals per day for refugees, volunteers and the more than 240 National Guard soldiers helping with flood control. Capt. Jamie Pennington of the Ottumwa Salvation Army said the effort shows how the community will come together in a crisis.

A 25-foot flood wall protects downtown Ottumwa, and National Guard troops reinforced it with temporary sand walls similar to those used to protect bases in Iraq. The walls are critically important at low spots in the wall, as is the case where the Market Street Bridge crosses the river.

Soldiers sandbagged an electrical substation near Ottumwa. The work kept water out of the station, but power remains off for some 500 Ottumwa residents as a precaution.

Successful fights against the river in Eddyville and Eldon kept water out of most homes. Residents on Water Street in Eldon are largely staying put, despite having electrical and natural gas service cut off. The cuts are a precaution and no evacuation orders are in place.

Eldon has two major threats. The high river levels leave area creeks with nowhere to go, and they’re backing up into areas that are safe from the river itself. Eldon City Hall moved operations to the Libertyville Savings Bank as a precaution against the rising Chippewa Creek.

The worst of the flooding is past Eddyville, but sandbags remain as hedges against the weather. Mayor John Johnston says the river level is dropping and the arrival of National Guard troops has given volunteers a much-needed break.

While the floodwaters have claimed lives elsewhere, southeast Iowa has avoided fatalities thus far. But there was a very narrow escape Sunday night.

Eight people in Ottumwa put a boat into the river north of town for a sightseeing trip. The boat capsized and sent the people into the river. Four males in the boat were able to grab a railroad bridge and pull themselves to safety. Four females were unable to grab the bridge.

The Ottumwa Fire Department and Wapello County Sheriff’s Department launched a river rescue that successfully brought all eight people to land, but the fire department’s boat sank in the attempt.

Tom Rodgers, Ottumwa’s public information coordinator, warned that prospects are uncertain for any future rescues.

“There are areas that are just impossible to mount a successful water rescue at this point,” Rodgers said.

The floods are creating another headache for officials as sightseers crowd flooded areas. Wapello County Sheriff Don Kirkendall said gawkers crowded roads and hampered evacuation efforts in some areas, making it difficult for vehicles to get people and their belongings out of threatened areas.

Police and National Guard troops are patrolling area levees. Anyone found trespassing on the levees is subject to arrest. Authorities have not said how many, if any, people have been arrested.

Some impacts from the flood will hit consumers across the country. Many farmers can do little but wait for the water to drop before they can attempt to salvage a crop this year.

“I have crop insurance. I have already turned in for 200 acres of replant. I imagine it is a long ways from over. We could end up having a larger loss at the end of the year, just don’t know yet,” said Wapello County farmer Bruce Klyn.

He said there is no doubt there will be losses in yields for 2008.

“I got to replant about 20 percent of my corn. We haven’t got that done yet, it still has to be replanted,” Klyn said. “I don’t have any bottom ground, but I have flats and have water sitting on them, drowning out the area.”

Forecasters say river levels will drop slowly for the next couple of days as the bulk of the water moves downstream. The fall will accelerate later, though Ottumwa is expected to remain in the major flooding category through at least Sunday.



Matt Milner writes for the Ottumwa (Iowa) Courier.