Video: Cedar River Overtakes Downtown Cedar Rapids

Flood water from the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids is now rising at a rate of two inches per hour, and officials have mandated that any persons within one block of the water’s edge must evacuate.

Yesterday officials estimated that the river would crest early Friday morning at a level of 24.5 feet. That guess was washed away today when the river surged to over 26 feet. Officials at the National Weather Service now believe the river will crest in the morning at a level of 32 feet — a level that has never been seen.

Previous flood records for the river in Cedar Rapids were set in 1929 and 1851 at 20 feet. The river is not expected to recede to that level until next Wednesday or Thursday. The non-flood level is 12 feet.

The video below shows the scene in downtown Cedar Rapids this afternoon. At that time the water had crossed 3rd Street SE and was just beginning to lap into the 5th Avenue and 4th Avenue parking ramps. Cars continued to move in and around the Green Square Park area. Now, however, the flood waters have reached the railroad tracks at the back of the park and officials have closed 6th Street SE (in front of Waypoint).

Further north in the Ellis Park area, the park shelter is underwater. House boats there are beginning to tip as they run out of length on their tethers.

On the south end, the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway Co. railroad bridge was lost to the flood waters this morning, despite loaded hopper cars left on it in an attempt to stabilize it. The bridge and hopper cars are now serving as a mini-dam in the river, forcing waters into areas further inland. Officials are now closely watching the rail bridge that serves Quaker Oats. It is feared that if that bridge gives way, it could slam into the 5-in-1 and affect Interstate 380 — the only remaining local route across the Cedar River.

A total of 9,000 people in the Cedar Rapids area have been evacuated. Those individuals represent about 3,200 homes that are now either already under water or directly threatened. Natural gas and electricity has been turned off in all affected areas, and officials have urged all area residents to conserve water by using it only for drinking. Due to the flooding, the Cedar Rapids Post Office will no longer be delivering mail. At last estimate, over 100 city blocks were flooded.

The Linn County Sheriff’s Department is operating out of Linn County History Center. Inmates at the Linn County jail — some of them visitors from flooded jails in Vinton — were evacuated. In midst of the storms this morning, the city’s 911 system failed. Calls continue to be routed through the nearby Marion Police Department.

The city’s two hospitals — Mercy Medical Center and St. Luke’s Hospital — are both operating on back-up generators and remain open. The flood waters reached Mercy Medical Center this evening, but there are no current plans to evacuate.

The Czech-Slovak Museum and the African American Cultural Center are both in the flood waters. Linn County Supervisor Lu Barron said that the Czech Museum is drenched up to its door handles. Fortunately, the facilities took steps to protect their collections.

Evacuation shelters have shifted as the river has claimed more of the city. The current shelters are located at Viola Gibson Elementary School, 6106 Gibson Drive NE, and Prairie High School, 401 76th Ave. Only service animals are allowed at these shelters. Pets needing a safe place to stay should be taken to the Diamond V facility at Kirkwood Community College.