IOWA: Levee break, flash flooding leads to urgent evacuations in northern Iowa town

[Commonground]

June 22, 2024 10:41am EDT​

ROCK VALLEY, Iowa – A levee break along Iowa's Rock River early Saturday morning led to a frantic evacuation in the town of Rock Valley in the dark of night as water levels suddenly began rising, flooding parts of town.

The National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Emergency, and city officials even took to sounding tornado sirens to get the town's attention to the urgent situation at hand.

"We are setting off sirens in (Rock Valley)," the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office posted on social media. "This means to evacuate your house if able."
​
Rock Valley city officials have been posting updated maps on their town's social media feeds showing growing areas of evacuation orders as waters continue to rise. The sheriff’s office reported at least two bridges and road had washed out as dawn broke over Iowa.

Drone video shot by the Sioux County Sheriff's Office shows dozens of homes and buildings inundated with floodwaters.
​-snip-
A shelter was established at a local church. But as the waters rose, getting people there became more challenging.

"Currently we have dive teams, swift boats and task force teams in the water," city officials posted in an update later Saturday morning. "Using pickups, tractors, trucks or loaders is no longer an option for evacuation because of the water current and height.
​
...https://www.foxweather.com/extreme-weather/levee-break-rock-valley-iowa-rock-river

 

[Commonground]

Updated 10:28 CT June 22, 2024

Northwest Iowa residents evacuated because of flooding; Gov. Kim Reynolds declares disaster
​
After a day of heavy rain, the city of Rock Valley in Sioux County ordered the evacuation early Saturday of residents north of Highway 18. Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered a disaster declaration for the county in far northwest Iowa and a short time later extended it to 20 more counties.

The city posted the order on its Facebook page as the Rock River surged to a record depth of more than 27 feet, 5 feet over the previous record and 8 feet above major flood stage of 19 feet, according to the National Water Prediction Service. The city said a shelter had been established for the evacuated residents at Trinity Reformed Church, 3030 Eight St. in Rock Valley.

-snip-
In addition to Sioux County, the governor's disaster proclamation covers Buena Vista, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Floyd, Hancock, Humboldt, Kossuth, Lyon, O’Brien, Osceola, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Webster, Winnebago, Woodbury, Worth, and Wright counties. It said it enables authorities to use state resources and activates assistance programs for affected residents, with grants of up to $5,000.
-snip-
Flooding also was reported in Sioux City, Sioux Center, Hull, Sheldon, Sanborn, Spirit Lake and Arnolds Park, the weather service said. Wind and hail damage from the storms Friday also was reported. And the flooding in some areas could worsen.
-snip-
Some areas west and northwest of Sheldon, which straddles the Sioux and O'Brien County lines, reported 15 inches of rain in 48 hours, according to the National Weather Service.

...https://www.desmoinesregister.com/s...es-evacuations-in-northwest-iowa/74179790007/

 

[Commonground]

[Hawarden is a city in Sioux County, Iowa,]

13 minutes ago — Hawarden, Iowa water/sewer treatment plant is out of commission due to flooding.​

https://siouxcityjournal.com/news/l...cle_a14f9688-30ab-11ef-b362-2f1a155218a9.html

 

[Commonground]

Excerpts:
Flooding forces people from homes in some parts of Iowa while much of US toils again in heat

Published June 22, 2024 12:02 PM​

Sirens blared at 2 a.m. in Rock Valley, Iowa, population 4,200, where people in hundreds of homes were told to get out as the Rock River could no longer take rain that has slammed the region. The city lacked running water because wells were unusable.
-snip-
Gov. Kim Reynolds declared a disaster for Sioux County, which includes Rock Valley. Drone video posted by the local sheriff showed no streets, just roofs and the tops of trees above water.​
-snip-
In Iowa, power was cut off at wastewater treatment plants in Hawarden and Spencer, which together have 14,000 residents.

Full article: https://kesq.com/news/2024/06/22/fl...of-iowa-while-much-of-us-toils-again-in-heat/

 

[Commonground]

Authorities advising against travel across Cherokee County, IA
Jun. 22, 2024 at 4:13 PM EDT

According to emergency management, they’ve gotten reports from long-time Cherokee County residents that they are seeing water levels they’ve never seen before.

As of Saturday afternoon, the only roads that can get drivers through Cherokee County are the bridge at 480th Street, L51 at Quimby and C66 at Washta.

Some of the closures reported as of 2 p.m. include these roads in the town of Cherokee:

-snip-

Cherokee County is not the only one advising against travel. Lyn, Sioux O’Brien, Clay, Emmet and Dickinson Counties are also strongly discouraging travel Saturday.

https://www.ktiv.com/2024/06/22/authorities-advising-against-travel-across-cherokee-county-ia/

 

[Commonground]

]Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report

June 17 – 23, 2024

​

DES MOINES, Iowa (June 24, 2024) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly April through November. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship provides a weather summary each week during this time.

“Northwest Iowa is experiencing historic flooding not seen since 1993. While the forecast is showing a reprieve from additional rainfall, those downstream need to be prepared as this water heads south,” said Secretary Naig. “Our hearts go out to all the Iowans affected by this devastating flooding. We do not yet know the full picture of damage to homes, businesses, farms, crops, livestock, communities and public infrastructure, but we know that it is likely to be substantial and costly. Iowans are resilient and we will get through this together, but this recovery will certainly take some time and require considerable resources.”

The weekly report is also available on the USDA’s website at nass.usda.gov.
​
continued: https://iowaagriculture.gov/news/crop-progress-report-June-24-2024

 

[Treyfish]

Northwest Iowa rivers are flooding homes and farms. Now the water is moving downstream

Iowa Public Radio | By Sheila Brummer,
Grant Gerlock
Published June 24, 2024 at 5:42 AM CDT​
......Flooding in northwest Iowa broke records over the weekend after storms dropped 10 inches of rain — up to 15 inches in some areas — across parts of Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa.

Homes and farms are underwater along multiple rivers, including the Little Sioux, the Big Sioux and the Rock. Forecasters expect the high water to threaten communities downstream over the next several days.

Gov. Reynolds said the sudden surge of water drove the rivers to levels surpassing the flood of 1993, which has long been a high water mark for the state.

“In almost every community impacted, the rivers crested several feet above record levels from the floods of 1993,” Reynolds said Sunday in a press conference with other state officials at the State Emergency Operations Center in Johnston. “In fact, we had 16 flood gauges that recorded historic levels.”

According to Reynolds, 250 people were saved in water rescues in northwest Iowa on Saturday. More than 1,000 flood victims stayed in community shelters Saturday night. At least 1,900 properties were flooded based on early estimates, in addition to large areas of farmland.....
:tiphat:
https://www.iowapublicradio.org/ipr...and-farms-now-the-water-is-moving-downstream​

 

[sharon sanders]

Please see thread:

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Detected in a Sioux County Dairy in 11th Herd​
https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum...ammals-and-livestock-2024?p=992490#post992490


Please see US H5N1 Mammal Livestock List link

 

[Commonground]

Disaster Resources Available

Details

Are you or a loved one dealing with the aftermath from the floods across the state? Resources and important information are available on our disaster recovery page.

Published on June 24, 2024​

Disaster Recovery Resources
On this page...

• Resources for Families
• Disaster Specific Resources

• Mental Health Resources
• Additional Resources

​-snip-

Disaster Specific Resources

Flood

• Starting Your Recovery After a Flood
• Cleaning and Disinfecting After a Flood (Espanol)
• FAQs About Mold (Espanol)

​

https://hhs.iowa.gov/programs/programs-and-services/disaster-recovery-resources

 

[Commonground]

Minnesota:

Manure pits reportedly overflow at 16 large feedlots in southern Minnesota
​
JUNE 25, 2024

Heavy rain has spilled an unknown amount of livestock waste into the environment.

Relentless rains this month have caused the manure pits of at least 16 large feedlots in southwestern Minnesota to overflow, releasing unknown amounts of livestock waste into the environment.

The overflows, all at open pit lagoons, happened in Rock, Nobles and Jackson counties, said Andrea Cournoyer, a spokeswoman for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The agency is working to monitor and mitigate environmental damage from the spills, she said.

High concentrations of manure can be dangerous to human health and can cause fish kills and threaten water quality even after floodwaters recede.

The state's largest feedlots — those with more than 1,000 animal units — are required to report any manure overflows to the state. State regulators ask smaller farms to report overflows as well, but they are not required.
​
Peter Bakken, a rancher who operates a feedlot in Rock County, said the heavy rains have put his manure storage facility at the brink of overflowing.

He said it's the second time since securing his permit that he's had to phone into the state to report a potential overflow because of flooding. He and his family get their drinking water from the property, he said, and potential manure pollution is one of a host of complications the historic rain has caused farmers in the area.
​
"We build for a 100-year flood," Bakken said. "And we get 100-year floods every other year it seems."

Minnesota Department of Health officials warned that contamination from both animal and human waste is one of many reasons people need to avoid floodwater.

This is a developing story.​

https://www.startribune.com/manure-...rge-feedlots-in-southern-minnesota/600376074/

 

[Commonground]

https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/202...cted-by-flooding-as-severe-weather-continues/

 

[Treyfish]

Double Trouble from Flooding and H5N1 hits Some Iowa Farms
By RHONDA BROOKS
June 25, 2024
Active flooding is still underway in parts of Iowa due to the more than 15 inches of rain that fell on parts of the state, particularly the northwest region, over the weekend, according to Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig.

“There were folks literally being rescued off of rooftops and flown out of the flooded areas,” Naig told AgriTalk Host Chip Flory on Tuesday. “After a couple of days, we will be able to come in and start to get a sense of what the enormity of what's happened is and the size of the impact on the ag landscape.”

The devastation led to a disaster proclamation from Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and the evacuation of thousands of Iowa residents from the area.....

​...Naig said state officials won’t have a full sense of the crop damage or number of livestock lost in the region until the flood waters recede....

Added Stress On Dairies

For dairy producers in northwest Iowa, the floods arrived on top of challenges they already faced from dealing with cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1) or efforts to prevent the occurrence of the disease.

“Unfortunately, a lot of our cases are in dairies up in that area,” Naig said. “Think of the added stress that those folks are experiencing right now.”

Naig said, in total, Iowa has confirmed 11 dairies and three poultry sites where H5N1 has been found.

“Don't be surprised if you continue to hear about some additional cases in the state of Iowa, because here's the point – we're looking for it,” Naig said. “Our farmers are testing. Turns out, when you look for it, you can find it. I think this is a little wider spread than maybe what is just being confirmed.”



Naig said he commends the Iowa dairy industry for being proactive in reporting any positive cases. When cases are confirmed, he said the state can bring in a USDA epidemiological strike team to look for clues to how H5N1 is being transmitted.

“If we're going to experience the pain of having positive cases, let's learn as much as we can, so that we can craft biosecurity strategies to address those things that are found to be the cause of transmission,” he said.

Wide Range Of Symptoms And Outcomes
Naig added that the scope of H5N1 infections has varied between farms as well as in individual animals.

“I think maybe early on, folks said, ‘Oh, it's really just a kind of a minimal milk production loss, and then everything gets back to normal.’ I don't think it's quite that way,” he said. “Some (producers) aren’t seeing clinical signs while others see acute infections and significant milk losses. We are also hearing about some cattle mortality, though it's maybe because of a secondary infection or condition that actually causes that mortality.”
​...
:tiphat:
https://www.agweb.com/news/crops/cr...rouble-flooding-and-h5n1-hits-some-iowa-farms

 

[Mary Wilson]

What we know about H5N1 bird flu in cows — and the risk to humans​

April 3, 202
By Helen Branswell​

... Experts believe the more likely route of infection here is via water or grasslands contaminated with virus by infected birds.

“There is massive (unprecedented) exposure of wild carnivores (feasting on sick/dead birds) and potentially also other mammals (through contaminated water and surface areas, including grasslands),” Ron Fouchier, an influenza virologist at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, told STAT via email. “The infected mammals get infected upon feeding/drinking, which is an alternative route of infection of mammals.” ...

https://www.statnews.com/2024/04/03/h5n1-bird-flu-in-cows-risk-to-humans/
__________________________________________________

Animal Disease Advisory
​​

... How is avian influenza transmitted?

... Fecal-oral transmission. Avian influenza is excreted primarily through the feces and can survive in water for days. In the environment, it can survive for 30 to 35 days at 4 C (39.2 F) and for seven days at 20 C (68 F). ...

https://www.ans.iastate.edu/farms/visiting-farm/biosecurity-policies/animal-disease-advisory

 

[Commonground]

*** The 2024 Dairy Farm Open House has been cancelled due to storm damage at the farm. Watch for information on the event in 2025! ***​

The ISU Dairy Farm is located on 27 acres at 52470 260th St. in Ames, three miles south of central campus. There are close to 400 dairy cows and another 400 heifers and around 35 students are employed to help operate the farm.​

Notice on tours: With the announcement of HPAI in a dairy herd in NW Iowa, we have decided to temporarily prohibit visitors to the ISU Dairy Farm as a preventative measure. This decision was made working with our attending veterinarian and is out of an abundance of caution to limit possible exposure to our cattle and personnel. While this is unfortunate, it is important to assure the health of our animals, employees and to protect the integrity of the ongoing research at the farm. The situation is evolving rapidly with new information coming in regularly so we will reevaluate this policy as soon as it is safe for our cattle and team.​

https://www.ans.iastate.edu/farms/dairy-farm