Sumner man killed in Chickasaw County flooding identified

CHICKASAW COUNTY - A Sumner man who died during Wednesday's flooding in northeastern Iowa has been identified.

The Chickasaw County Sheriff's Office has identified the victim as 77-year-old Albert Gott.

Chickasaw County Emergency Management Coordinator Ken Rasing said Gott was on his way to work at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday. Gott was in the 1100 block of Union Avenue north of Lawler when his vehicle was caught up in rising waters. Rasing said Gott was able to call 911 and ask for help.

'By the time everyone got there, we couldn't find him,” Rasing said.

Water pushed Gott off the road. His body was found about 2,500 feet downstream, Rasing said.

Rasing said Chickasaw County typically sees flooding where the branches of the Wapsipinicon River converge in the southern part of the county. However, in this recent event, the 'Little Wapsi” was out of its banks on Wednesday, but has since gone down. The 'Big Wapsi” is still rising, Rasing said.

There are no gauges on those rivers, so Rasing said he does not know their levels.