Correctionville, Iowa nears ‘flood of record’

Northwest Iowa is still dealing with major flooding as heavy rains forced emergency evacuations in several towns, including Rock Rapids and Spencer.

On Monday, residents in Rock Valley started to clean up after a breech in a levee on the Rock River early Saturday morning caused floodwater to rush in to the town of about 4,100 residents.

The Big Sioux River in Sioux City hit major flood stage Sunday afternoon and a flood warning is in effect for the Little Sioux River near Correctionville until late Wednesday. The National Weather Service says the expected crest in Correctionville “approaches the flood of record.”

More: ‘I lost everything,’ one Rock Valley resident says. More flooding is expected across Iowa

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service in Des Moines has active flood warnings for 12 rivers in northwest and north central Iowa, including warnings in Cedar Falls, Fort Dodge, Charles City and Mason City.

Follow along for live updates.

Michael Shawn Francis grew up near the railroad bridge that collapsed from floodwaters on Sunday and still lives in a Sioux City house nearby. Francis celebrated his 60th birthday Monday by scoping out a bridge he said is beloved to him and his family. His father worked for the Milwaukee Railroad and Francis said he’s ridden on trains on the bridge, he said.

“I grew up on this bridge,” Francis said.

Francis watched the bridge fall overnight Sunday.

“I was standing right over there when we could hear everything creaking, and I watched the river raise faster than I’ve ever seen it in my lifetime,” Francis said.

Francis brought family heirlooms out of his safe, but did not evacuate. Mandatory evacuations were in place in some areas of Riverside, the Sioux City neighborhood near the bridge.

“I’ve never seen it this high before,” Francis said of the Big Sioux River. “This has been pretty wild. This is where I was raised.”

Nearby, the Sioux City Railroad Museum was flooded. But for the most part the worst effects in Sioux City were averted, dodging a repeat of Missouri River floods from 2011. Residents packed Riverside Pool, about a mile south of the bridge collapse, on a day when temperatures soared past 100 degrees.

John Benson, Iowa Department of Homeland Security director, said during a press briefing in Rock Valley that officials were watching the situation in Sioux City carefully.

Sioux City’s flood mitigation measures were holding for the moment, Benson said hours before the Big Sioux River crested Monday afternoon. The city also took steps to strengthen its flood barriers, he said.

The Big Sioux River empties into the Missouri River in Sioux City, near Riverside. Some parkland near a boat ramp on the Missouri River where riders on the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa camped last year were flooded. A Hilton Garden Inn on slightly higher ground had its parking lot flooded, but the building appeared to be dry.

In neighboring South Sioux City, Nebraska, a few baseball fields in floodplains on the riverbanks were flooded, but the effects also appeared to minimal.

Big Sioux River historic flooding causes railroad bridge to collapse

Record-breaking water levels in the Big Sioux River caused the collapse of a BNSF railroad bridge between North Sioux City and Sioux City.

One person has died when his truck was swept away in floodwaters on Saturday, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office announced in a news release.

The body of William Schulze of Elburn, Illinois, was recovered on Monday.

Someone called 911 Saturday to report a red Ford F-150 was trying to cross “rapid flood waters” on 240th Avenue just outside of Spencer. The truck was swept away and floating in the Little Sioux River, according to a news release.

Rescue crews in boats eventually found the truck in a tree line on the river and found Schulze dead.

At the time, authorities did not attempt a recovery. Over the next few days, several unsuccessful attempts were made until his body was recovered Monday.

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office said they later learned that Schulze had been reported missing in Illinois two days ago.

A person also is missing from Rock Valley. Kyle Kreykes, 52, was last seen Friday, when historic flooding began in the northwest Iowa town.

Gov. Kim Reynolds and Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen have issued a joint statement Monday asking people to remain off the Missouri River in the coming days, as water levels continue to surpass flood stage.

“Now is not the time to be on the water. In addition to higher-than-normal flow, there’s also the potential for more debris in the water, which poses a significant risk to anyone on the Missouri. It’s best to wait until levels return to normal to resume regular activities,” the governor said.

Officials on both sides of the river have been closely monitoring conditions along the river and its tributaries since late last week.

Interstate 29 in southeast South Dakota where it leaves Iowa remains closed between exits 2 and 26. Officials expect it to remain closed until Tuesday.

The following detour routes remain in place around the closure:

• Southbound I-29 traffic will be detoured onto S.D. Highway 50 west at exit 26 to Vermillion, then south to South Dakota Highway 19 into Nebraska where it becomes N.E. Highway 15, then continue south to N.E. Highway 12 east in Nebraska to U.S Highway 20 east in Nebraska, then to exit 144 for I-29 south at South Sioux City.

• Northbound I-29 traffic will exit onto Highway 20 west, then north on Highway 12 and Highway 15 in Nebraska, continuing onto Highway 19 in South Dakota to the Vermillion exit to Highway 50 eastbound to I-29.

Find detour maps: https://www.SD511.org or https://dot.sd.gov/travelers/travelers/flooding-information.

The Big Sioux River at Riverside in Sioux City crested at 45 feet around 8 a.m. Monday morning — seven feet higher than the previous record of 37.7 feet, according to a news release from Sioux City. Mandatory evacuations were put in place for areas near South River Drive as water has begun to overtop the levee in a low-lying area.

City officials said they could quickly ask others to leave the area.

“All residents of Riverside should be prepared to evacuate quickly in case it is needed,” the news release said.

More: Flood-ravaged Rock Valley ready for volunteer help

Le Mars’ Big Al’s Smokin Good BBQ is donating its earnings from a recent competition in Des Moines to help northwest Iowans impacted by flooding, according to a news release from the Iowa Pork Producers Association.

The second annual BBQ & Brew at the Ballpark took place on June 22 and raised more than $20,000 to benefit food banks in Iowa. There, Big Al’s Smokin Good BBQ won best pork butt and took second place in the pork rib category, earning a total of $1,100, according to the news release.

Allen Devos, who said he was retiring as head pit master of Big Al’s at the competition, is from northwest Iowa, as are his team members. Together, they donated their winnings to flood victims, and the Iowa Pork Producers Association will match the donation, according to the news release.

Devos and his team will also help feed people impacted by the floods and volunteers, according to the news release.

Rock Valley, Iowa man recounts dramatic overnight rescue from flood

Rock Valley man recounts his dramatic overnight rescue from floodwaters: “I had 5 minutes to get across the street or I’d be swept away.”

At around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, the fire department old Jerald Hoogendoorn to leave his house in five minutes or else he would be consumed by the flood waters that overtook the town of Rock Valley.

“I only had five minutes to get across the street or else I would be swept away,” Hoogendoorn told the Register.

With no time to gather any of his personal belongings, Hoogendoorn was still wearing the same clothes he left his house behind in. His 1897 home currently sits on five to six wooden posts as the floor is beginning to buckle from water damage.

When asked what the days were like since the flooding, Hoogendoorn began to cry.

“I lost everything,” Hoogendoorn said. “You just can’t imagine what goes through your head.”

One of the doors to his house can’t even open because the water pressure is so strong it jammed it. His son and daughter along with their spouses came to help Hoogendoorn on Monday.

Last night, Hoogendoorn was able to stay at his daughter’s house. But when his house first flooded, Hoogendoorn joined hundreds of displaced Iowans who had to stay in community shelters.

“Boy did I get a good night’s sleep,” Hoogendoorn said about staying with his daughter. “I can’t sleep on a cot because I got a little bit of back troubles. It’s not been easy, not been easy. Not easy for nobody in this here 15th Street.”

Correctionville has lost power and is working with MidAmerican Energy to restore it, officials said Monday afternoon.

MidAmerican has not given an estimate when the power will be restored, however, officials are trying to reroute power from a different substation, mayor pro tem Nathan Heilman said. The city’s substation is surrounded by water as of early Monday afternoon.

MidAmerican officials are hoping that the power will be back later this afternoon, but nothing has been guaranteed, Heilman said.

“It sounds like this is going to be record flooding for us,” Heilman said. “Many people who have lived in Correctionville for a long time have commented they haven’t seen water this bad.”

The city isn’t sure how deep the water is because the monitor at the bridge has stopped working, Heilman said.

City officials are still working to determine how many houses have been damaged by the flood, he said.

Economic development director David Miller said one resident in Rock Valley is missing. More specifics were not available as of noon because their family was still being notified, he said.

Rock Valley economic development director David Miller said that early on Friday, the city added 16,000 sandbags to its levee system in less than six hours. Those ran about 4,000 feet long and added 1.5 to 3 feet to the top of the levee, Miller said.

Earlier reports said the river caused a levee breach. Miller clarified that the levee held, but 3 to 5 feet of water overtopped the levee.

“We didn’t have any levee breach that we’ve seen,” Miller said. “The water was just that high of a level.”

About 500 homes were inundated with water, Miller said. About 150 of those homes had “main floor” damage, he said. Areas near Main Street were heavily impacted by floodwaters. About 75 small businesses in “all directions” were impacted, Miller said.

Rock Valley Public School and Rock Valley Christian School were two of our three schools were “heavily impacted by the floodwaters,” Miller said. Hegg Health Center, a hospital, was evacuated about four hours before the levee overtopped, Miller said.

Patients were relocated to nearby Hull.

Water and sewer systems are down in Rock Valley. No timeline for getting water and sewer systems operational exists, but the city hopes to get them back online as fast as they can, he said.

Outside of City Hall there are several pallets of bottled water stacked to help residents.

“Our health and safety of our citizens is our main priority. We’ve gone through enough things, we don’t want to risk their health,” Miller said.

Rock Valley Mayor Kevin Van Otterloo said that shower trucks are on their way into Rock Valley. In other places, portable toilets are being set up for residents to use for the time being.

“They’re coming in, they’re not here yet,” Van Otterloo said. “But we’re working on it, we’re working on it.”

The state is working on getting at least two wells near Rock Valley online, said Gov. Kim Reynolds, who visited Rock Valley on Monday. Tests for bacteria and viruses are ongoing, she said.

To this point Reynolds did not know of any fatalities in northwest Iowa.

“These waters rise so rapidly,” Reynolds said. “There’s just not a lot of time to respond. The coordinated effort that took place, we’ve really been very fortunate.”

Across Rock Valley on Monday morning, residents began to clean up as floodwaters began to recede.

Neighborhoods were caked in slimy mud from receding waters. One neighborhood about four blocks north of Main Street still had water several feet deep in the middle of the street, inundating homes and cars left in the waters.

A nearby church had portions of its interior carpet strewn across its parking lot drying. Water filled the home of Larry Vanveldhuizen’s nephew and is now threatening the structural integrity, he said.

“The main floor didn’t get it, but it’s soaking through the floor boards and his carpet is wet. The basement is starting to cave in,” Vanveldhuizen said.

One-by-one volunteers pulled boxes filled with clocks, flowers and other trinkets from the home between 8:30 and 10 a.m. Monday. A sign under a birdhouse in the entrance still read “Welcome” as volunteers came and went. Volunteers pulled out water-soaked things like tables, chairs and couches. A washer and dryer sat on the back of a trailer.

Rock Valley had asked volunteers to stay away until Monday, when some roads were started to become passable.

Drone footage shows floods in Iowa’s Rock Valley

Heavy rainfall leads to severe flooding in Iowa. The state has declared the floods a ‘disaster.’

The Des Moines River in Fort Dodge is projected to crest at 19.5 feet on Wednesday, the third highest recorded. The city has delivered sand and bags to four locations, and is preparing for potential road closures.

Fort Dodge City Manger David Fierke said Avenue B by the city’s wastewater treatment plan is already closed and flooded, with four to five houses cut off from getting out by normal means. If the floodwater is high enough, residents may not be able to drive out of the area at all.

The city will likely close First and Second Street Northwest by Hydro-Electric Park, Fierke said.

Currently, sandbagging efforts are underway at the Otho Community Center, Avenue B at M Street, the Hydro-Electric Park, and Amigos. Residents may go to those locations to grab sandbags.

The city is emphatically encouraging people to stay out of not only the Des Moines River but Soldier Creek as well due to the current danger.

Travel is strongly discouraged in Lyon, Sioux, O’Brien, Clay, Emmet, Dickinson, Cherokee and Plymouth counties due to flooding. Many routes are covered with water and becoming dangerous, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation.

Here are the road closures due to flooding:

Highway 71 between county roads C13 and IA 10 near Sioux Rapids.
Highway 71 between county roads B40 and B17 near Spencer.
Highway 59 between county roads C44 and Highway 3 near Cherokee.
Highway 18 one mile east of the Spencer area going toward Dickens.
Highway 18 west of Emmetsburg.
Highway 9 in both directions is blocked between county roads M34 and Highway 86 roughly three to four miles east of the Lake Park area.
Highway 18 between county roads K18 and K24 five miles west of the Rock Valley area.
Highway 18 going both directions between Highway 218 and county road T66 near Charles City.
Highway 169 county road C10 near Saint Joseph.

Check Iowa 511 for the latest on road closures.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has added five counties in southwest Iowa “in response to the impending flooding.” They include Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, and Pottawattamie counties, which have flood warnings in place.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District said in a news release Monday it continues to support communities along the Missouri River and its tributaries that have been impacted by flooding or soon might.

Over the past 24 hours, it has distributed sandbags, dispatched nine levee surveillance teams and dispersed flood fight materials to communities in Iowa and Nebraska as requested.

“Our district is leaning forward to be as proactive as possible as we look to mitigate the potential impacts,” Col. Robert Newbauer, Omaha District commander said in a news release. “Many of the tributaries are seeing record amounts of water, so it is very challenging with levels changing very quickly.”

Reynold’s disaster proclamation from Saturday covers Buena Vista, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Floyd, Hancock, Humboldt, Kossuth, Lyon, O’Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Sioux, Webster, Winnebago, Woodbury, Worth and Wright counties. It enables authorities to use state resources and activates assistance programs for affected residents, with grants of up to $5,000.

Correctionville expects to lose electricity Monday morning from rising floodwaters.

“We are reaching new levels that has never been seen in the city before,” the city posted on Facebook.

It has asked residents to limit water usage and urged people to monitor updates. Emergency power is set up at the community building for air conditioning as temperatures also soar to the high 90s.

Record-breaking water levels in the Big Sioux River caused the collapse of a BNSF railroad bridge between North Sioux City in South Dakota and the Riverside neighborhood of Sioux City.

“That is the main bridge going into Iowa that a lot of commodities and different materials move on throughout the state,” South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said in a news conference Monday. “That’ll impact us for many, many months to come.”

North Sioux City received the brunt of the flooding. An undetermined number of homes along North Shore Drive were hit by rushing waters, Noem said, with some residences considered lost.

Union County Emergency Manager Jason Westcott said the rapid influx of floodwaters hit the area in the span of about 30 minutes.

BNSF said it is rerouting trains through Creston. Union Pacific said it closed rail lines between Mason City and St. Paul, Minnesota, and between Sioux City and St. Paul.

One person has died so far as a result of the regional flooding, South Dakota Gov. Kriti Noem said. She did not elaborate further on the incident, citing privacy concerns for the victim’s family. She declined to answer another reporter’s question about where the fatal event took place.

About 960 people have stayed in six shelters in northwest Iowa since flooding began Friday, the Red Cross said Monday morning. Volunteers are providing meals, snacks and comfort kits.

The shelters are located at:

Faith Reformed Church, 1305 7th St., in Rock Valley
Trinity Christian Reformed Church, 2020 8th St. S.E., in Rock Valley
Faith Pentecostal Church, 1700 11th Ave. S.W., in Spencer
CrossWinds Church, 1900 Grand Ave., Suite A, in Spencer
River Valley Community School, 916 Hackberry St., in Correctionville
Cherokee Washington High School, 600 West Bluff St., in Cherokee

Red Cross is contacting local officials across northwest Iowa that have been impacted to evaluate the needs of residents, officials said.

Those affected by the storm can receive assistance from the Red Cross by calling 1-800-733-2767.

Rock Valley started welcoming volunteers on Monday morning. Other cities and nonprofits have set up ways to donate to flood victims.

More: How to help Iowa flooding victims: Here are the supplies they need