But on Monday, Mr. Allbaugh raised hackles here when he criticized the city's reliance on sandbag dikes and other emergency flood- fighting measures. Mr. Allbaugh also said he would carry back to Washington a request for federal disaster relief from Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa. Mr. Allbaugh flew here this morning to survey flood damage on a guided bus tour of Davenport, escorted by city and state officials, including Mr. Vilsack. It was a warm spring day in which the river showed signs of receding, and it seemed that the people here might have fought their beloved river to a draw. We're never going to beat the river.
Nobody ever beats the river.
We were prepared for this flood and we have fought it off and our damage is going to be minimal. While Mr. Allbaugh praised the city's efforts, he fell short of guaranteeing federal assistance for the city. At the outdoor news conference today, Mr. Allbaugh repeatedly dodged reporters' questions about whether Davenport, the largest city on the northern Mississippi without a permanent flood wall, should build such protection. There will be another place and a time for a public debate on that issue. I'm here to listen, to learn, and I appreciate everyone welcoming me here today, and more importantly, educating me as to what they went through in '93, '97 and this year.