Flooding: It isn’t too early to look ahead

By Sioux City Journal

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At high elevations in mountain states out West, snowpack is melting - slowly.

According to a National Weather Service meteorologist interviewed for a June 13 story in the Billings (Mont.) Gazette, lower-than-normal temperatures this month will translate into a gentle release of what the Gazette described as “huge amounts of water still lingering in the pack.”

“We're in uncharted territory with snowpack this late,” Keith Meier said. “We haven't been here before.”

At elevations below 8,000 feet, Meier said, the snowpack has been reduced by 50 percent; above 8,000 feet, 10 percent to 20 percent.

What does this portend for those of us fighting the flooding Missouri River here in Siouxland? It's more evidence of the fact our fight is only just beginning. All signs point to a river level near or above flood stage for most, if not all of summer. We may have high water here into fall.

That's not an insurmountable - nor unexpected - challenge, but it is a likelihood worth repeating and it's something for which we all should be prepared.

For the immediate future, all necessary preparations and precautions appear to have been made or to be nearing completion. Local, state and federal government agencies deserve much praise for the organized, diligent, expeditious fashion in which they responded to this crisis under the extraordinary pressure of a ticking clock. As we proceed into the uncertain days and weeks just ahead, their priority mission will be watching protection levees for problems and potential problems and making repairs and adjustments where necessary.

The sustained pressure on levees over many weeks will be immense, but we are confident in the game plan for monitoring and repairing them put in place by government authorities.

In the meantime, we all - leaders and average residents - should begin considering challenges and questions of a more long-term nature. We do not wish to raise alarms unnecessarily, but it seems only prudent for governments, school districts, businesses and private citizens to discuss strategies and contingency plans - into and perhaps even beyond fall.

Questions related to the impact of flooding on our future abound and relate to myriad components of Siouxland life, particularly in this metro area.

Our questions, for example, include: What will or should be the future of Dakota Dunes as a community? What kind of permanent protection for affected communities might be necessary? What will be the impact on the Dakota Valley School District if families remain displaced when the new school year begins? What kind of cleanup challenges might we expect? What kinds of costs will local and state governments probably face and how will meeting them impact budgets? (In South Dakota, Gov. Dennis Daugaard on Wednesday said flood costs in his state have reached $10 million so far.) What federal assistance might our region receive - and when?

As we gird for what appears will be a long road ahead, we also must continue to remain calm and informed, listen to the suggestions and warnings of officials in positions of knowledge and responsibility - and provide whatever help we can for our friends and neighbors who are directly affected.