From DailyKos:
Darrell in Iowa writes:
I am in Mason City. Our levees broke Sunday morning. Flood stage is 7 foot and waters are now at 19 feet. Hundreds of homes and businesses are underwater. The City's water plant was flooded and the entire city of 30,000 is without potable water. A couple of hours ago the main electric substation flooded and failed and much of the city is without power. People remain in flooded homes. Early tonight I saw people wandering the streets not knowing where to go. There are entrie areas of the city with NO emergency personnel on hand.
NOBODY from the outside has come to help. Our local first responders are exhausted and overwhelmed. Small rural towns downstream tonight are being devasted. Levees everywhere are failing. Calls for help in these small towns have been unmet. Portions of our local guard are in Iraq.
The homeland has been left unprotected and people are suffering horribly.
And more of the story:
June 7, 2008 - Saturday
The Dike broke and flooding is Horrible
A quick post to let everyone know we are safe. I am at my parents house in Mason City, Iowa. The flooding rivers have now past a 75 year old record and will crest several feet higher later tonight. A few hours ago the dike on the main river broke. The City water plant is under water and soon this city of 30,000 people will be without drinking water. By this afternoon the last remaining bridge to the area we are in will be under water stranding about 10,000 people. We are high enough we won't flood although we will be cut off. I have the boat standing by in the back yard in case we need it. More later as I have time...need to see what I can do to help friends whose houses are under water.
Oh damn, thought the rain had stopped but it is starting again.
1:40 pm update....The rain continues to fall heavily and waters are rising fast again. The flood stage on the main river is 7 feet. We are now at 18 feeting and rising. The City is telling people we will be without water for at least two days and possibly all week. There must now be concern about contamination because people are being told not to use city water supply. I made it to the store before the bridge was closed and a semi load of water had just come in...as fast as it could be unloaded people were grabbing it. Its like chaos at the grocery stores. We are being told to expect much worse. I am in my RV, but need to soon abandon it. The water is about a foot deep around it and thats just urban flooding...its nowhere near a river.
10:00 pm update - I just got back a half hour ago from my brothers business where they are sand bagging. The rain has finally stopped and although on TV they report water is not longer rising...that's not what is happening. The street I took two hours to get out of our neighborhood is now under water. I was one of the last vehicles to get through the bumper deep water before it was closed. We are now completely isolated and cut off from the rest of the City.
Images are HERE
I've been watching cable, haven't seen anything on tv about this. I thought we said 'never again' after Katrina. Make a call, send emails, email the networks and ask them why they aren't on this story.
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