Weather

FEMA bought 90 homes along river after ‘500-year flood’ in 1999

After passing its flood stage of 12 feet and cresting at about 14.75 feet Tuesday night, the Wapsipinicon River in Independence has begun to recede.

The Red Cross, Alliant Energy and MidAmerican Energy all said they are sending volunteers, crews and resources to help Louisiana with recovery efforts.

In Elkader, officials had already closed two low-lying roads and crews had begun erecting large flood barriers. That came as the National Weather Service reported the Turkey River rose more than 6.5 feet to 22.3 feet overnight. Flood stage at Elkader is 12 feet.

According to National Weather Service storm reports, the bad weather in the state spanned from as far west as Story City north of Des Moines to as far east as Bellevue on the Iowa-Illinois border.

Tuesday’s storms don’t pose the same threat as last year, according to the National Weather Service.

Derecho caused $7.5 billion in damage in Iowa alone

A 72-hour emergency kit is a good place to start. Start with an old suitcase, a large cooler or a sturdy storage bin and fill it with 72 hours’ worth of food and water per person.

NextEra Energy, owner of the decommissioned nuclear power plant in Palo, has said it will donate 144 Whelen outdoor sirens, worth a total $1 million, to the Linn County Emergency Management Agency. Now county is figuring out the cost to maintain them.

75 percent of state in some level of drought

“The overall goal is getting out information in a way and in a format that is going to get folks’ attention and spur them to take action during dangerous conditions and get themselves into shelter,” said Rich Kinney, warning coordination meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Quad Cities office.

At least 12 tornadoes cut paths across Iowa as severe storms Wednesday evening left flattened crops, broken trees and battered buildings in their wake, the National Weather Service reported Thursday.