Flood update

There are now 8 confirmed water main breaks and most of the roads are now open. There is still a lot of standing water hanging around, though, and who knows how long that will take to percolate/drain away.

And we've got more rain in the forecast.

You might want a boat for this

I was awoken at 5am this morning by an automated phone call from the city of Ames: Water levels in Squaw Creek and the Skunk River were expected to rise to record-high levels.

Apparently, they were not content with simply meeting the record set in 1993. So now various parts of Ames, like Jack Trice Stadium and most businesses on the south end of S. Duff (though I must say it's Walmart's fault for building on a flood plain), are under water. Several major roadways, including part of Highway 30 and I-35, which are kind of essential to enter or leave Ames (at least from the south), are closed. And hundreds of people (or more) have been evacuated from their flooded homes. The surrounding area was also affected to varying degrees. It's bad enough that Iowa State is closed tomorrow.