Sump pump central
To a casual observer, the state of Iowa would appear to be sinking. Our rivers instead are rising to alarming and historic levels. Bridges and eating establishments in downtown Des Moines were being closed today, downtown Waterloo evacuated, and at the Coralville reservoir in east-central Iowa, the overflow of the spillway on Wednesday morning is expected to surpass the level of even 1993. Residents of small towns such as Charles City, New Hartford, Washburn, Palo, and Chelsea have been ordered out by emergency management authorities. The predicted river crest in Cedar Rapids later this week would be more than two feet above the 1993 crest, and a foot and a half more than the record crests for that city in 1929 and 1851. Rapid, indeed.Overnight, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be lowering the floodgates at the Saylorville Lake emergency spillway, which will bring a surge of water into the Des Moines metro area to its south. The Corps says it will take 12 hours for that water to reach downtown Des Moines. Hundreds of collegiate athletes in town for the NCAA Track and Field Championships at Drake University have forsaken the downtown hotels for drier accommodations, and Wednesday is also expected to deliver heavy rains once again across the state.
I'm fortunate. I'm on the first big hill west of downtown Des Moines, and on the top floor of my building to boot. For those of us on higher ground, the impact is on our transportation routes. Heading east on Interstate 80 on Thursday, I'll no doubt be faced with a swelling South Skunk River near Newton that was already approaching the surface of the coast-to-coast track on Sunday afternoon. The water at that time had encroached upon the parking lot of the infamous Adult Superstore at Exit 159. I had to buy an inflatable doll just to have a flotation device. I said-- I had to buy an inflatable doll just to have a flotation device. Ah, screw it.
The impact on the world outside Iowa will be spiking food prices. Flooded fields mean even less supply than was already anticipated. The U.S. Agriculture Department estimates that 10 percent less corn will be harvested this year than in 2007, and commodity prices later in the year could climb to more than double that of 2006.
posted by CM @ 8:52 PM
6 Comments:
Sorry to hear about the water. I got the inflatable doll joke, and I even laughed. Amy's sister (and family) live in Charles City and will be replacing the carpet in their basement (and possibly more as the rains continue).
It's interesting that you aren't talking about a windfall profits tax or calling the Midwest American farmers heartless bloodsuckers like you are the oil companies. If you're not blaming the farmer for higher food costs, then you can't blame oil companies for higher oil costs. It's supply and demand, and supply in both industries is strained right now.
One more thing - about your prediction that if the Cardinals win 8-10 more games than they lose by Memorial Day that they won't look back - you are right. That's because they are looking up - at the best team in the majors.
Downtown was dead for years after the floods of 93". I hope this is just a minor setback. Downtown really has come along way.
has come a long way since 93".
Farmers won't be claiming record profits this year, and local farmer Larry Moeller didn't get a $400 million retirement package last year when he turned 65-- that's a pair of key differences. Also, corn and soybeans don't grow out of the ground naturally, which was part of my argument for why Americans should wrestle control of their own natural resources.
And I didn't call the oil companies "heartless bloodsuckers," I don't know where you came up with that. I called them pimps.
The basic premise of my baseball prediction remains in place-- if the Cardinals are 8-10 games over .500 on Memorial Day, which they were, they will win the division.
I think the $115 million Cubs might still regret that they didn't bury their red-shirted rivals before the Cards welcome or welcome back Albert Pujols, Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, Matt Clement, and prospect Colby Rasmus.
Downtown Des Moines was certainly dead in the 1990s, but not having lived here before the floods, I never thought to attribute that factor. I was surprised to see even the river bridges back open though today (Sunday) when I returned to town. I'm glad-- I don't want to have to miss even one more farmers' market.
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