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Iowa City, Ia.-University of Iowa President Sally Mason said efforts to sandbag and defend the campus from rising flood waters will be completed this afternoon.After that, Mason said, little more can or will be done.“This is our last effort,” said Mason, surveying the massive sand-bagging effort this afternoon on Madison Street, one block east of the Iowa River. University officials estimated that one-eighth of the campus already has been directly impacted by flood water, with an expected crest of the swollen Iowa River on Tuesday.“We should be done by 5 this afternoon, and then all we can do is wait,” Mason said today. “We will have done all we can.” The Iowa River had caused major damage by Saturday even though the crest was at least two days away. The river is expected to reach 33 feet to 34 feet late Monday or early Tuesday, far above the 25-foot flood stage.Only one bridge connecting the east and west sides of downtown Iowa City remained open, and officials said it may have to be closed this weekend.The Iowa River surged another 2 feet in just 12 hours into Friday, forcing the University of Iowa to shut down the power plant that provides service to the University of Iowa Hospitals and other university buildings. By 4 p.m. Friday, 19 endangered university buildings - including the student union, Hancher Auditorium and the English-philosophy building - were either taking on water or volunteers were trying everything to block it."This is an emergency such as we've never seen before, with unprecedented threats to our campus," U of I President Sally Mason said. "This is getting dangerous now."As the river surged to hit 30.41 feet - 8 feet above flood stage, and 2 feet above the record of 28.52 feet set in August 1993 - officials drilled small holes in bridges to release pressure in hopes of staving off collapses. Police and aid workers were expected to set up satellite operations on both sides of the river.U of I shuts down power plant
The University of Iowa has been forced to shut down its power plant that provides service to University Hospitals and other university buildings.That doesn't mean, however, that the campus has lost all power.The power plant basically provides the electricity to run air conditioning and to provide chilled water to campus.University Hospitals remains up and operational. Temporary boilers are in place at the hospital and another one is being installed right now. The hospital also has emergency generators ready in case power fails.Much of the power to the hospital is supplied by Mid-American Energy, officials said.University Hospitals remains up and operational. Temporary boilers are in place at the hospital and another one is being installed right now. The hospital also has emergency generators ready in case power fails.A backup steam boiler, which was on its way Friday but stuck in transit due to I-80 closures, has now arrived and is online. No functionality has been lost. Steam is especially crucial to the U of I Hospitals and Clinics because it is needed to power sterilization processes used in operating rooms for surgeries. The power plant, which was taking on water in its basement as of last night, is located on the swollen Iowa River.Crews desperately pumped water from the basement of the Adler Journalism Building, a $20 million facility opened in 2005.The building houses the newsroom of the Daily Iowan, a newspaper circulated around campus and throughout Iowa City. Bill Casey, the paper's publisher for more than 30 years, sweated alongside reporters and editors to move expensive equipment and computers to higher ground."I've heard there'll be 2 feet, and I've heard there'll be 10 feet in our newsroom, but we're going elsewhere, and we'll continue to publish," Casey said.
Coast Guard deployed
The U.S. Coast Guard has deployed two disaster response teams with about 15 people to Iowa City to conduct search and rescue missions if floodwaters from the Iowa River swamp the city and residents become stranded.Additional Coast Guard teams in the Midwest are on standby to respond to Iowa if needed, said Lt. Christian Barger, a Coast Guard spokesman in St. Louis, Mo. The teams in Iowa City will also be available to help in Cedar Rapids, he added.Each of the teams is equipped with three flat-bottom boats, known as “flood punts,” which have outboard motors that can move quickly through flood waters, Barger said.After Hurricane Katrina, the St. Louis-based teams were sent to New Orleans where they helped with rescue efforts. More recently, they helped to rescue more than 100 people in southeast Missouri after flooding this spring.“We do have great success with teams. They are there to rescue people from their homes in shallow water that would otherwise be inaccessible to other boats,” Barger said.The teams will also be available to transport public officials through floodwaters to government buildings and facilities, such as water treatment plants.The Coast Guardsmen are working in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, As the severity of the state’s flooding moves into southern Iowa, the Coast Guard teams will head south to help as needed, Barger said.The city expected Friday to close every bridge, rendering travel between Iowa City's east and west sides impossible.
Keeping the hospitals running
Donald Gucker, associate vice president for facilities management, said that the U of I is "racing against time and water" to keep its steam power, electricity, and water supplies operating.Power was being shut down at many campus buildings, and rationing systems may soon be implemented for water and energy, in order to keep U of I Hospitals running."Right now UIHC and our essential services are number one," Gucker said.The hospital was in "emergency command" mode with 630 patients and 680 open beds. A full surgical schedule was followed, said John Robillard, vice president for medical affairs and dean of the Carver College of Medicine.Residents of nearly 400 units at university-owned Hawkeye Court apartments were evacuated Thursday, joining the Mayflower campus dormitory's 100 residents, who were evacuated more than a week ago, U of I spokeswoman Linda Kettner said.
Mandatory evacuation
City Manager Michael Lombardo said an estimated 500 non-university homes and businesses in Iowa City - on top of roughly 55 in Coralville - were under mandatory, indefinite evacuation. Besides in those areas, significant power outages had not been reported for Iowa City, and the water supply remained secure, Lombardo said.Travel to and from Interstate Highway 80 from Coralville's First Avenue, and from Iowa City's Dubuque Street, has been completely shut down. If Iowa Highway 1, the only remaining thoroughfare to I-80, is closed, the area will be essentially cut off from the rest of the state.The Army Corps of Engineers informed the city Friday that the river may rise an additional 5 feet - to 35 feet, 7 feet above 1993 levels - before cresting Monday. The outflow from the spillway was expected to climb to 25,000 cubic feet per second by Friday, then to 30,000 cfs by Tuesday.
As in the days of Noah.....
