page_title: Iowa flood of 2008
section_title: Des Moines
hierarchical_section_title: Iowa flood of 2008 / Des Moines River / Des Moines
caption_attribution_description: English: A member of the Iowa National Guard prepares to set a sandbag into place as part of a new 7-foot levee protecting an Ottumwa power sub-station. (Iowa National Guard photo by Sgt. Chad D. Nelson) This was taken during the Great Iowa Flood of 2008, and posted sometime after June 13, 2008
context_page_description: The Iowa flood of 2008 was a hydrological event involving most of the rivers in eastern Iowa beginning around June 8, 2008 and ending about July 1. Flooding continued on the Upper Mississippi River in the southeastern portion of the state for several more days. The phrase "Iowa's Katrina" was often heard.
  The flooding included, the Upper Iowa River, the Turkey, and the Maquoketa Rivers; outside of the Driftless Area, they include the catchments of the Wapsipinicon River and that of the Iowa River, to include the latter's major tributary, the Cedar River; and the Skunk River in its various forks. The Des Moines River had some minor flooding, but floodwalls and levees for the most part held fast. The Upper Mississippi River which receives the outflow from all these rivers remained at flood stage.
  The flooding of Cedar Rapids and Iowa City were the most significant events. Recovery in particular for Cedar Rapids is considered to be a protracted and costly affair. For Iowa City, the level of damage was less than expected, but that of Cedar Rapids was greater than anticipated. In Iowa City, the campus of the University of Iowa was vulnerable, and serious flooding did occur there.
context_section_description: In Des Moines a levee breach flooded the Birdland Park neighborhood north of downtown. The river was past its crest by Friday, June 13, but advisories were still in effect.
  In the morning hours of June 13, the Army Corps of Engineers called for a complete evacuation of a 100-year flood zone in downtown Des Moines, but the data used to call the evacuation turned out to be false because of a faulty water flow rate sensor. Residents returned to their homes by the end of the day.
caption: Iowa National Guardsman sandbagging in Ottumwa in June 2008 (click for a larger image) (photo by Sgt. Chad D. Nelson, 135th MPAD, Iowa National Guard)
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