Flooding in Iowa!

It’s been raining almost every day here in Northeast Iowa these past few weeks and even after saying that it’s been one of the wettest summers that I can ever remember. 

So needless to say our ground is wet! 

With up to 10 inches that fell during the night on Tuesday in some of our local towns, well there was no place for all that water to go other than out of the banks and into local businesses, homes, and farms. 

It’s amazing how fast water can accumulate isn’t it? Even in our town with a little creek running through it, we had more water than we knew what to do it. 

So everyone pitched together and started to help out sandbagging. I even heard of a local town where the kids were left out of their classes from school to help sandbag. And after seeing some pictures of those kids working beside fireman and local business owners, I’m thinking that they really did learn a lot today. Maybe nothing that you can find in a text book, but something that will help them as they go through life.

I saw some of my friends who lived ‘downstream’ helping to empty out a grocery store and was ready to brace themselves before the water came. 

There was even others who opened their homes and made meals for those who couldn’t get to their houses. When you think of a small town community and culture, I think you really see how everyone truly does help everyone here in the midwest! 

Basements were collapsed, houses have more debris in their backyard that they could ever imagine, and I have no idea on how some of the crops will turn out.  

But what makes me the most sad? Well the flooding in Spillville Iowa. This town had been hit hard with a flood back in 2008 and the Inwood Ballroom at that time also took a beating. They finally got the ball room all fixed up and now I heard that there is 2 feet of water above their bar which is higher than the 2008 flood. This is what the ballroom looks like now with the high waters And before where all the water is was grass, a ball diamond, and a campground. See this is one of the last remaining ballrooms in Iowa. The Inwood opened in 1922 as a way to raise money to build a memorial to World War 1 veterans. In those days it hosted entertainers like Glenn Miller, Lawrence Welk, and Louis Armstrong. Now it’s a popular place for concerts, events, and weddings.  It has a ten-sided maple dance floor with two fireplaces, lattice ceilings, a 50 ft. bar, and a kitchen.

I know that my folks have spent many nights at wedding dances there and I’ve been to quite a few myself! So when I heard they were flooded again, it just made my belly hurt! They have been raising money for a new roof and with their Centennial coming up in a few years, let’s hope that it can be repaired again to it’s glory!

Now sometimes we have masses in the summer to pray for rain for our crops, with the forecast for rain this weekend – maybe we should have masses to pray for the rain to slow down for awhile!

Here is a couple more pictures from the flooding

Getting ready for the water