DarkSyde over at DailyKos is drawing attention to a catastrophe-in-the-making in the Midwest. Be sure and follow the links Dark provides. One is the blog diary of an Iowa resident that paints a pretty stark picture of what is going on.
More rain in the Midwest this week could turn an already bad situation into a national catastrophe.
Tom Murphy AP -- Rescuers in boats continued to pluck people from rising waters in Indiana yesterday, a day after more than 10 inches of rain deluged much of the state. In Iowa, pumps and thousands of sandbags were sent to the Iowa City area, where officials fear a reservoir could top a spillway and flood the city of about 63,000 by tomorrow.
Michael Crumb, Trib -- In Des Moines, plans were being made to build temporary levees and begin sandbagging to hold the water back. In Iowa City, City Manager Michael Lombardo said as many as 150 homes near the Iowa River are "directly in harms way," with another 130 homes in two mobile home parks also being threatened.
Need we point out that a number of Iowa National Guard units are deployed overseas, others are just returning or preparing to leave? That means the local guard is at roughly half their normal strength in both manpower and equipment thanks to Bush and McCain's war. Oops!
Sara Stewart, KCRG News -- This Memorial Day weekend, the Iowa Army National Guard says it needs more equipment to effectively fulfill its duties. The guard's continued presence in Iraq means it only has about 60 percent of the necessary materials. Iowa National Guard Soldiers respond to local emergencies, protect our country at home and serve overseas.
And here is the rest of it.
2 comments:
As I am watching the news this morning I am astonished as I watch large beautiful homes crushed, and floating down the river! So much lost for so many! It can all be washed away so quickly and easily.
I sandbagged at dark, by the rivers edge during my youth in Indiana, my town surrounded by 3 rivers---scary stuff. (And now I live on "the Big One" fault. Gees)
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