My heart is going out to the people in Iowa right now! I just watched a CNN video on the river flooding that is occurring in Cedar Rapids. I grew up in Iowa about three hours north of there, where my parents still live.
My parents just finished laying new carpet and putting down hardwood floors a few months ago, and 5 days ago water starting seeping into their basement. They don't have a sump pump, so they have been running shop vacs around the clock to try to pick up as much as they can. They called their insurance company and this is considered "flood damage", which most people aren't insured for in the area. So nothing is covered. The town isn't totally flooded like other areas, but the ground is just so saturated.
Obviously this is a pain for them to keep getting up at all hours of the night to go empty the shop vacs, but now seeing what is happening in Cedar Rapids, it is just an inconvenience compared to the fact that a lot of people are going to lose their homes.
I remember the last flood like this that happened in Iowa right before I went to college at Iowa State. Ames got flooded. I remember seeing on the news how water had come into the basketball stadium all the way to the top of the basketball rims. The farmers really suffered immensely, as they will this year. Unfortunately we are already far enough into the growing season that it will be hard for them to replant much. Corn and soybeans will be hit hard, as these are the main crops planted in Iowa.
My prayers go out to all Iowan dealing with the water issues right now! I hope the weather starts cooperating. The forecast looks better, but they could still see some more rain over the next week. What crazy weather we have had over the last year. From fires in the West, to flooding and tornados in the Central, and now heat waves in the East- not to mention the terrible winter we had here in Chicago. No one has been safe from Mother Nature.
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