Cresco, Iowa, and Noah's Ark

As many of you have heard on the news, the rain came down and the floods went up in Iowa for the last week or so. It's unlike anything we've ever seen. We had about 3 inches in the basement Sunday, it was coming in between the concrete bricks and around the foundation. The drain in the floor couldn't keep up. Dean's dad came and helped us put the washer, dryer, and freezer on pallettes after we moved most of the stuff we store in the basement upstairs or outside. We threw out some stuff and then went to the laundromat to wash our clothes after we borrowed a pump from Barb and Al ( I work for Barb). You cannot purchase bleach, buckets, squeegees, or fans in Cresco...forget about finding a pump in Iowa anytime soon. The early estimate on corn and crop loss in our county is 10% of all fields. Many farmers have not even planted yet and are not expecting to be able to plant as there is still standing water in almost every field. Even part of Hwy 9 just west of town before Hwy 63 washed out and a man got hung up and had to be rescued. Dan and Janice had water coming up into the bottom 2 apartments of the quadplex the own. Monday it turned into sewage and they are currently housing the 2 80 yr old ladies at the hotel. The list just keeps going on.
It dried out by Tuesday and on Wednesday night Dean's dad came and helped me scrub the floor and walls with bleach water. Dean moved the washer and dryer back and hooked them up. Thursday...we had more water in the basement...not as much but once again we moved the washer and dryer. Its almost dry again but the washer and dryer are not hooked up and the freezer is still on pallettes. Our county is not as bad as others but the country club and golf course are underwater and there is some concern with the sewers over following or backing up. Decorah was more than half evacuated. They pumped more than 750,000 gallons of water off the streets back over the dike. Luther College has major damage to their sports facilities and grounds. Walmart was closed for a day or so. 83 of the 99 counties in Iowa are federal disasters.
Cedar Rapids has 450 city blocks under water - churches, schools, houses, businesses, libraries are under water...the river crested at 32 feet over flood stage today. They evacuated most of Mercy Medical Center as the water poured into the labs.
In all this deluge...there have been so many stories of people just dropping everything to go help others. People spent days sandbagging and evacuate others. The authorities are so grateful for the outpouring of help and cooperation.
The hymn....'There Will Be Showers Of Blessings' keeps running through my head. Dean and I are reminded of just how little we are and how big God is. So many people we now have been affected. Dean's cousin Sarah and her family were evacuated in Decorah. Roland Ferrie was stranded for 2 days not able to return to his apartment. The town we were in last weekend for Tyler and Jessi's wedding is underwater and mostly evacuated. It's humbling and scary all at the same time.