From Indivisible Iowa:
As you may be hearing on the news, our Levee broke in Davenport. Also known as the HESCO temporary barrier. Our mayor may be telling Trump that it's just a couple of blocks. We in Davenport know that those couple of blocks are in addition to the multiple other blocks that have been affected for the last month. Not to mention that they tested the water and it is contaminated with e-coli. Emergency services are working on evacuating people and are warning that the remaining barriers are under stress. The Arsenal bridge is closed, they're considering closing the Centennial Bridge and the I-74 bridge is under construction. Many people in our area travel across Bridges everyday for work, including me. Bus service affected and low-income people can't travel the extra 40 minutes it would add to the commute to take the I 280 Bridge. The Farmers Market, where people in this downtown food desert can get fresh food with their food stamps has already been pushed back. Now the alternative location is only one block away from flooding. Community Health Care, where low income and underinsured people get medical care and discounted prescriptions is affected.
We've already broken the record for longest amount of days in major flood stage. They're saying that we will likely be in major flood stage until early June at this point. Please reach out to your friends and family in Davenport and see how you can help. We will be holding onto each other and seeing how we can support at-risk businesses, Community Resources, and the community health care Clinic. Below are a couple of pictures I took why would a standstill on the Centennial Bridge. A bridge that was rated among the most dangerous in the country. Imagine it's safety while affected by this flooding.
From luckylizard in the comments:
…(looking west) shows the sky bridge. If you look just up and to the left of the end of it you can see two rectangular shapes. The lower of these two is the old Levee Inn which is slightly above the normal water level and where floods levels have been marked since 1965. All you can see is the roof. The other building is the public restrooms which sit slightly higher. Trailing off to the left below the sky bridge you can see a line of lamp posts which are along the top of the old levee below Lock and Dam 15.
To the right, about in the middle of the sky bridge, is River Drive (US 67). The bridge then goes over a parking building. Just above that building is the Figge Art Museum which some genius decided to move from its original location high above the floodplain. Just beyond that, you can see a little bit of a curved building. That is the ground transportation center where the city buses and Trailways are located. (There are also classrooms for the community college in a building attached to the center.). Even if the buses can get through, the people who need them can’t walk through flood waters to get there.
There are a lot of other things affected but I could be writing for hours to relate them all. 😢
This flood crest is moving down the Mississippi. The climate crisis is upon us.
——————————-
Flood updates from the Quad City Times: qctimes.com/...
“FLOOD UPDATES: Catastrophe strikes Davenport | River overruns flood barriers, triggering frantic escapes”
Live blog from KQAD: wqad.com/…
“Floodwater spills into downtown Davenport after levee breach”
Wednesday updates
Images of the water lapping onto the HESCO barriers
Current flood forecast, barring more rain:
...Flood Warning remains in effect until further notice...
The Flood Warning continues for
The Mississippi River at Rock Island LD15.
* Until further notice.
* At 4:00 PM Tuesday the stage was 21.8 feet and slowly rising.
* Flood stage is 15.0 feet.
* Major flooding is occurring and is forecast to continue.
* Forecast, Rise to 22.4 feet by early Wednesday afternoon, then
begin slowly falling by early Thursday morning.
* Impact, At 22.5 feet, Water affects Davenport`s Rockingham Road
and 2nd Street from Division to Gaines, from Pershing to Le Claire
and 3rd Street from Fillmore to Warren.
Good coverage at Gizmodo
“This is exactly what ’93 looked like,” WQAD-TV meteorologist Eric Sorensen said, according to the Register. “This is really something, you guys. I’m at a loss. All of our fighting to keep that river back. Everybody’s businesses here are going to go. This is a great place. Man, Davenport is a great place. … This is just something.”
According to the Quad-City Times, “Wednesday marks the 39th day of continuous flooding here,” making this the longest flood on record.
In satellite photos from 1993, Iowa was the sixth Great Lake.
This flood season is just beginning; here is the forecast.
Want to help?
From Catte Nap’s comment:
Davenport flood breach — how you can help
The Salvation Army is accepting donations to help victims of the Downtown Davenport flood breach.
WQAD News 8 is working to find out other times and places you can drop off donations – refresh this page for updates
Red Cross is setting up shelters.
The city of Davenport's ongoing flood coverage — Davenport uses 3D visualization to anticipate flooding