Iowa Has A Long History Of Flooding Challenges Flood Awareness Begins In Earnest

Notable Historic Iowa Floods

The climate and geography of Iowa produce many floods. Iowa is bounded on the east by the Mississippi River and on the west by the Missouri River. The Des Moines River cuts across the whole state north to south. Precipitation in Iowa tends to be concentrated within the four months from May to August, when there are a lot of thunderstorms. During the summer months, heavy rainfall often causes the rivers to overflow their banks, leading to flooding.

Iowa began to be officially settled by the United States in 1833. While still sparsely populated, the state was hit by the Great Flood of 1851, and the Des Moines River basin was heavily flooded. The nascent city of Des Moines was wiped out almost completely. Many farmers lost their entire crop and countless buildings were destroyed. This was the first flood experienced by the residents of Iowa. Their preparations had been very poor. Towns had not foreseen the need to construct levees or sturdy bridges and consequently suffered severe damage.

On the morning of May 18, 1892, residents of Sioux City were startled to discover water coursing through the streets of their city. The Floyd River, which local residents had believed was safely contained, had, in fact, overrun its banks. The city suffered millions of dollars of damage and about 25 people died along with thousands of livestock.

More recently, 1993 produced one of the largest floods on record, not just in Iowa, but throughout the entire Midwest. There had been heavy snowfall the previous winter, which saturated the ground when it melted. Additional precipitation could not be absorbed, and instead drained into the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, which both flooded between May and August. All 99 counties of Iowa were declared disaster areas, and billions of dollars of damage was suffered, along with seven deaths.

While the 2008 Mississippi River flood was not as severe nationwide as that of 1993, it was considerably worse for Iowa, which saw significant flooding in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. Lessons learned from the 1993 flood were applied in many cities, saving lives and property, yet Cedar Rapids still suffered considerable damage, which will take many years to repair.

Iowa has suffered greatly from floods for over 150 years. It is likely that it will continue to be hit with more floods in the future as well. Every time there is a flood, new lessons are learned, and flood-management technology is always improving. Cutting-edge flood inundation maps now allow officials and property owners to see what sections of their city will be affected by floods first, allowing better evacuation plans and utility service decisions to be made. Mayors and city councils have learned that it is best to create a plan for emergencies before they occur. By taking proactive steps towards disaster prevention and mitigation, communities in Iowa can reduce the cost and disruption of future floods.

Contributions to this article were provided by the disaster recovery team from Jarvis Iowa, a leading local property restoration firm that specializes in flood damage cleanup services. Jarvis offers local services in Cedar Rapids, Des Moines and Iowa City.