University of Iowa sending HESCO flood barriers to western Iowa

The University of Iowa began to load dozens of HESCO flood barriers on flat bed trucks to send to flood-threatened Sioux City at 9:00 a.m. this morning.

In storage at various buildings on the University of Iowa Campus since the flood of 2008, the University of Iowa is sending all available units to the places in western Iowa that desperately need them.

“The initial call [for barriers] came in last Thursday,” Communications Manager of University of Iowa Facilities Management Wendy Moorehead said. “We're able to send out around 3,200 linear feet.”

Around 33 flood barriers can fit on a single flatbed truck. The University of Iowa expects to need two trucks to carry all of the units to Sioux City today. The University of Iowa plans to send an additional 2,200 linear feet tomorrow.

Once all units have been sent out, the University of Iowa will receive replacement HESCO barriers to replace the ones currently being shipped out of the area next week at no cost to the University.

“Our risk for flooding here is very minimalized,” Facilities Management employee Allan Culbert said. “They really need them right now.”

The University of Iowa also sent 11,800 linear feet of flood barriers to Louisiana in May.

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