Water in Iowa only seems to cause us trouble

Once the snow melted, I thought we were in the clear. I could go to school unimpeded and study. But no, we couldn't just have a peaceful summer. Now we are experiencing "historic" flooding. Our house is fine, but in short, Cedar Rapids has implemented it's 500 year flood plan, or however you say it- no one bothers to explain these things- but we avoid it by mere blocks, and I can't even begin to relate how anxious rushing waters under shaky bridges make me. I hate bridges. I hate bodies of water. I hate this flooding.

Katie's day care is on the other side of the river from my office- which is maybe 1oo feet from the river. That distance may be shortened before long, but if it is, much of the UI will be under water. I can't even begin to count the number of bridges we have to cross- namely, the one separating Katie and I while she's at day care. We cross rivers experiencing historic flooding constantly during the day.

Let's just say that I now understand why the main UI library, which is next to my building, has the stacks on the two highest floors. Supposedly the 1993 floods were devastating, and word is, this year's will be worse.

Because I haven't taken any pictures, although the bridges have been lined with people doing just that, here are some links to local news sites and one web cam of the Iowa River as it lines the UI campus:

www.kcrg.com
www.gazetteonline.com
www.press-citizen.com
http://www.iihr.uiowa.edu/webcam/
http://uiflood.blogspot.com/

The river web cam is located maybe two blocks from my building at the Hydraulics Lab, which is the best in the world.

One last anecdote: as we took our usual exit into Cedar Rapids Tuesday coming home from OK, we always cross this one bridge. The water is usually very low beneath it, and there are four or five bridges in close proximity. As we crossed it Tuesday, however, we noticed it was teeming with people, some strolling their children across, and when we looked south, we realized why. People were taking pictures of the next bridge over, which is a railroad trestle (Spelling?). The cars are still sitting on it, so the water doesn't sweep it away; the water, I should add, was flowing directly underneath the bridge. And those bridges are all closed now.

and: water may cover I-380, so we may have to find an alternate route to school...