On June 4,2008, severe thunderstorms began to impact the upper Midwest United States. Though this article may get updated, it may not reflect the most current and/or official information about this flood. June 2008 Midwest floods.

Map of river flooding as of June 10, 2008
 

Duration June 7 - July 1
Damages $6 Billion+
Fatalities 13 Deaths
Areas affected Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota and Wisconsin

Tornadoes, hail, severe lightning, and rain led to major damage to much of the region. Flash flooding led to the evacuation of thousands of homes in low-lying areas. The situation worsened as rain continued on June 5th. Flooding has continued up to June 14th. The States affected by the flooding include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. The American Red Cross is helping the victims of flooding and tornadoes across seven states. They anticipate spending in excess of $15 million for recent disasters.


Illinois

June 2008 Illinois Flood

House on the Southern Johnson County, Indiana line underwater due to flooding

Damages estimated- $126 million
Fatalities 3 Deaths
Areas affected:  Adams, Bartholomew, Benton, Boone, Brown, Carroll, Clay, Daviess, Dearborn, Elkhart, Franklin, Fulton, Gibson, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Henry, Huntington, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Knox, LaGrange, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Miami, Monroe, Morgan, Newton, Ohio, Owen, Parke, Pike, Posey, Putnam, Randolph, Ripley, Rush, Decatur, Shelby, Sullivan, Tippecanoe, Union, Vermillion, Vigo, Wabash, Warrick, Wayne, and White counties.

On June 11th, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich deemed Clark, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Jasper and Lawrence counties as disaster areas. Levee breaks on June 10 flooded portions of Lawrence County near Lawrenceville, inundating a campsite and forcing the evacuations of 200 homes.

On June 14th many communities located along the Mississippi river in West Central Illinois were notified by the National Weather Service that crests along the river would exceed the record crests of 1993. U.S. Senator and Presidential hopeful Barack Obama (D-IL) visited Quincy, Illinois to help with the sandbagging efforts and to observe the river.

On the early Morning of June 14th, the town of Oquawka, Illinois was evacuated, due a breach in a levee along the swollen Iowa River, it was the belief of the city council, that this would affect the flood waters along the already flooded Mississippi River. The same day two levees broke near the town of Keithsburg, Illinois flooding the entire town.

On the morning of June 15th, a levee along the Mississippi River in the town of Gulfport failed, flooding most of the town.

June 19, 2008- The cost of the disaster may end up rivaling that of 1993 Midwest floods that caused more than $20 billion in damage and 48 deaths. This months flooding has caused few deaths and the damage has yet to be fully assessed.

Political pressure was rising to provide relief.

President George W. Bush will travel to Iowa on Thursday to survey flood damage in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City and meet with emergency workers and state and local officials.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain will also be in the state to inspect the damage and response.

His Democratic rival in the November presidential election, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, was in Quincy earlier this week.

Upriver at Dallas City, about 50 sandbaggers made up of volunteers and National Guard troops worked into the night on Wednesday.

"Weve had a little relief because the levee breaches lowered the river level a little. But its coming up again. Were not done yet," said Kathy Dougherty of the Hancock County Emergency Services Agency.

The Army Corps of Engineers, which operates river locks and dams, said 22 levees along the Mississippi had failed this week, including 12 on Wednesday. It said 48 levees protecting more than 285,000 acres of cropland from Dubuque, Iowa, to St. Louis, Missouri, were overflowing or at high flood risk.

Estimates are that 5 million acres across the Midwest have been ruined and will not produce a crop this year.

The prospects of smaller crops have jolted commodity markets, food producers and exporters. Chicago Board of Trade corn prices traded at a record $8.07 a bushel. For 40 years, CBOT corn has traded mostly in a range of $2-4 a bushel.
 

Indiana


June 2008 Indiana Flood

House on the Southern Johnson County, Indiana line underwater due to flooding

Duration
June 7 - Ongoing

Damages
estimated- $126 million

Fatalities
3 Deaths

Areas affected
Adams, Bartholomew, Benton, Boone, Brown, Carroll, Clay, Daviess, Dearborn, Elkhart, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Henry, Huntington, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Knox, LaGrange, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Miami, Monroe, Morgan, Newton, Ohio, Owen, Parke, Putnam, Randolph, Ripley, Rush, Decatur, Shelby, Sullivan, Tippecanoe, Union, Vermillion, Vigo, Wabash, Warrick, Wayne, and White counties.

Central and southwestern Indiana was particularly hard hit; damage costs are expected to make the flooding the costliest disaster in the history of the state. Starting on June 4, 2008, rain soaked parts of south-central Indiana leading to initial floods in and around Bloomington. Additional rain on June 7th brought the worst of the flooding to larger portions of south-central and western Indiana. The highest recorded rainfall amount was in the town of Edinburgh, which saw 10.94 inches (278 mm) of rain in just seven hours. Paragon saw 10 inches (250 mm) of rain in just a few hours, leaving 90% of the town underwater. National Weather Service Hydrologist Al Shipe says some parts of the state could see flooding that approaches record levels set in 1913. On June 9th, President George W. Bush declared 29 counties in central Indiana a major disaster area opening up the region to receive federal aid and federal Emergency Management Agency assistance.

Impact

Many low-lying areas of central and northern Indiana were evacuated because of the rapid rise of the waters. Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels declared a state of emergency in 23 counties and called in the U.S. Coast Guard to assist in evacuations and rescues. The Coast Guard responded by sending two helicopters to the state along with boats and personnel. The Indiana National Guard was called out to assist in evacuation and direct traffic and enforce road blocks on the many flooded roads. Some areas of Southern Indianapolis where the White River was several feet past flood stage, were evacuated including a hospital with one hundred patients and doctors. The Coast Guard were continuing to rescue trapped citizens on June 8. In Franklin, Indiana water rose as high as the first floor of Johnson Memorial Hospital. Doctors and patients were also evacuated from Columbus Regional Hospital in Columbus, Indiana. The hospital will remain closed for an extended period of time because of power outages, generator failures, and extensive flood damage. It is expected to resume operations between September and December 2008, although it is expected to resume emergency services more quickly. All patients were evacuated and moved to nearby hospitals. One hundred and fifty people were evacuated from a nursing home in Morgan County.

The dam at Princes Lake failed on June 7 threatening the community of Nineveh, Indiana. On June 8, 2008 the Wabash Valley between Lafayette and Terre Haute, Indiana was placed under flood alert and all residents near the Wabash River were urged to evacuate their homes. Looting was reported in Seymour, Indiana where the White River had overflowed its banks forcing the evacuation of over one hundred homes. Governor Daniels dispatched extra state police to the city to curb the looting. On June 10, five hundred members of the Kentucky National Guard were mobilized to assist Indiana in coping with the flood damage and rescuing stranded citizens. The same day floodwaters rose above record levels in at least five localities. In others the rising waters were near or at the historic 1913 flood levels. The flooding was the worst in Indianas modern history according to Scott Morlock, a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Indiana.

Many roads were closed because of high water, including Interstate 65, which was closed southbound at the interchange with Interstate 465 through Seymour.

On June 16th, Ball State University released a report estimating that preliminary damages in the state would cost at least $126 million, with $45.8 million in damage to public infrastructure and the rest damage to private businesses and homes. Although damage estimates are likely to be revised upward, the current estimate places the flood as the second costliest in Indiana history. Governor Mitch Daniels said the state is compiling its own thorough estimation and excepts total damages top $1 billion dollars

Deaths

One man drowned in flood waters near Remington, Indiana.

Two deaths have been reported in Columbus, Indiana. The first was confirmed by the Department of Homeland Security on June 8, 2008. On June 9, 2008 the body of a Cummins employee was discovered a mile from where he was sighted swept away by floodwaters.


Iowa
Iowa flood of 2008

The Des Moines River threatened downtown businesses and prompted officials to call for a voluntary evacuation

Further downstream on the Upper Iowa, in the small historic unincorporated area of Dorchester, severe flooding was experienced. In particular, a trailer court sustained major damage.

Along the Mississippi River, flood waters were reaching near record levels. In Burlington, the Mississippi reached three different crests, before hitting 22.3 feet (6.8 m) on June 10, the fourth highest stage in the citys history, as of June 15, the expected crest was supposed to be around the 25.8-foot (7.9 m) mark, which would make it the second worst flood in the citys history, surpassing 1993 by 0.7 feet (0.21 m) this caused the Burlington Steamboat Days to cancel, and close up three days early, the first such occurrence that the festival has closed more than one day early since its inception in 1962. Severe flooding caused the city to close off the entire section of the riverfront, from Main Street, to the riverfront. By the morning of June 15t, 2008, several streets within the city had been closed off, including the entire length of Front Street, a section of Main Street, between Division Street, and Jefferson Street, a section of Mill Dam Road, Tama Road, and all of its side roads, and County Highway 99. U.S.Highway 61, five miles south of the city had been closed on the morning of June 13th due to the rising waters of the Skunk River.

Along the upper Turkey River, the historic towns of Spilville and Fort Atkinson experienced significant flooding, with damaged roads and bridge approaches. Further downstream, portions of Elkader were under water; the river had retreated by Thursday, June 12, 2008.
 

Typical water level of the Cedar River on July 7, 2007. Pictured is Mays Island where municipal buildings are located and were flooded to the second story.

Same bridge submerged on June 12 2008.
In Cedar Rapids officials were readying residents and downtown business owners to evacuate as the Cedar River threatened to spill over a levee. The river was expected to top the levee June 11th, prompting a mandatory evacuation of downtown. All of the bridges over the Cedar River in downtown Cedar Rapids were closed at 8:00 pm CDT (0100 UTC) on June 11, 2008. On June 12th, a levee broke, a railroad bridge owned by the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway was swept away along with loaded rail cars, 100 city blocks were submerged downtown, and 10,000 people were evacuated. In Waterloo, fast-moving water swept away a railroad bridge used to transport tractors from a John Deere factory to Cedar Rapids. It also prompted the city to shut its downtown and close five bridges. The Black Hawk County Emergency Management Agency recommended the evacuation of the Cedar Terrace Neighborhood in Southeast Waterloo on June 10. Because of the severe flooding in east-central Iowa, officials with U.S. Postal Services Des Moines-based Hawkeye District suspended all Retail, Post Office Box and Mail Caller Services at the Waterloo Main Post Office.

On June 12, 2008, a mandatory evacuation was issued for the Normandy Drive area of Iowa City. An evacuation of two streets in Coralville was also issued, with the expectations of completing it by 5:00 pm CDT (2200 UTC) on June 12, 2008. One person died in the Iowa flooding. A section of Interstate 80 was closed in Cedar County due to flooding.

The small town of Palo, just upstream from Cedar Rapids, and home of Iowas only nuclear power plant, underwent a mandatory evacuation. As of June 13, 2008, the town remains under water.

At 3:43am on the morning of June 14, 2008 the National Weather Service in Des Moines Iowa issued a Flash Flood Warning for the City of Des Moines due to a 50-foot (15 m) wide levee breach along the Des Moines River in Des Moines near Birdland Park between 6th Avenue and New York Avenue.

In the evening of June 14, a levee along the Iowa River near Oakville, Iowa failed causing the swollen waters to rampage through, two days before the mandatory evacuation deadline in the town of Oakville. This also caused evacuation in the Huron Township area. Also, during that same time, an area of the city of Burlington, Iowa was evacuated, along Tama Road, due to a levee problem along the swollen Mississippi River, the levee began to bulge, and was threatening to fail by mid afternoon, by nightfall, it was still holding, but hopes were not high that it would remain intact, this caused Des Moines County to issue an evacuation order for all residents of the county that live east of County Highway 99. By the morning of June 15, 2008 the entire length of County Highway 99, within Des Moines County had been closed, by the morning of June 16, 2008, three more bulges were discovered along the levee, prompting workers to state that it was no longer a question of if, but when the levee would fail. On June 16, 2008, Cedar, Jones, Louisa, Muscatine, Polk, and Winneshiek Counties were approved for federal individual assistance.


Michigan
June 2008 Michigan Flood

Several tornadoes touched down in Southern Michigan and flooding led to evacuation of many homes. At least eight people died, due to a combination of blowing debris, flooding, and infrastructure failures. On June 14th a State of Emergency is declared for the counties of Allegan, Eaton and Mason. In days leading up to the State of Emergency, 8 to 11 inches of rain has fallen and winds have been recorded at 98 miles per hour across the area. Officials in Allegan County are expecting to spend nearly $700,000 to repair collapsed roads. More than 50 roads in Mason County are closed due to severe damage, as well as several miles of US-10 and US-31. In the City of Ludington damage to the citys public utilities has left many without drinking water and sewage contamination in the area.


Minnesota

Approximately 75 homes in Preston, Minnesota suffered water damage from excessive rainfall. Some residents were evacuated in Hayfield, Minnesota after the Zumbro River flooded. The Cedar River also flooded which threatened to cause problems in Austin, Minnesota. One man died when his vehicle plunged into a flooded creek near Albert Lea.


Missouri


June 2008 Missouri Flood

WINFIELD, Mo. - The weakest spot left along the swollen Mississippi River may be the Pin Oak levee, a barrier so tenuous that soil slides down its slope. Only National Guard soldiers and firefighters in life vests are allowed to stack sandbags, because volunteers and heavy equipment could sink.

But the earthen levee is all thats still protecting 100 houses, a city park, several businesses and 3,000 acres of agricultural land in east Winfield, one of the last towns where the upper Mississippi was expected to crest.

For days, emergency management officials in Lincoln County have focused on the 21/2-mile-long levee about 45 miles north of St. Louis. A storm with thunder and lightning yesterday was only the latest impediment to the desperate attempts to shore up the Pin Oak.

"This storm is not a good thing," said Jeff Stamper, a structural engineer with the Army Corps of Engineers. "It pulled everyone off. You can work on a levee in the rain, but not in lightning."

The Mississippi was expected to finally crest at Winfield sometime late yesterday and to flow at its high-water mark - more than 11 feet above flood stage - for two more days. A disturbance as minor as a passing boat could lead to disaster.

"A two-inch wake could be the difference between saving the levee and catastrophic failure," Lincoln County emergency management spokesman Andy Binder said.

Overnight and into yesterday morning, the porous and heavy soil inside the levee created whats called a slide, or a run of soil sinking down the slope of the levees dry side. At first light, workers used heavy sheet plastic and about 5,000 sandbags to create a 15-by-160 foot "mattress" to add weight and pressure to the weak spot.

"Do we expect more slides? Absolutely," Binder said.

The river continued to recede yesterday from the Iowa line down through the lock and dam at Saverton, about 90 miles north of St. Louis. The river had dropped a foot yesterday morning at Canton after a Sunday crest of 13 feet above flood stage.

"We need to stay vigilant," said Canton emergency management director Jeff McReynolds. "Were going to be on a yo-yo with the river for a while. Its going to be a long summer."

Rain in the St. Louis area yesterday wasnt expected to have any effect on the river level. But forecasters are nervous about storms expected to hit northeast Missouri and central Iowa today and tomorrow, said National Weather Service meteorologist Mark Fuchs. "Itll keep water in the system, thats for sure," he said. "That could turn the river around."

Pending the rains, the weather service said the river wouldnt begin to recede at St. Louis until tomorrow night. Forecasters said the last point on the river to finish cresting would be near Chester, Ill., 80 miles south of St. Louis, sometime Friday.

Wisconsin

June 2008 Wisconsin Flood

Duration June 7 - Ongoing
Damages TBD
Fatalities 1 Death
Areas affected Adams, Calumet, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, Lafayette, La Crosse, Marquette, Milwaukee, Monroe, Ozaukee, Racine, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Sheboygan, Vernon, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha and Winnebago counties.
Areas affected
Adams, Calumet, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, Lafayette, La Crosse, Marquette, Milwaukee, Monroe, Ozaukee, Racine, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Sheboygan, Vernon, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha and Winnebago counties.

On June 7, 2008, at least six confirmed tornadoes touched down in multiple counties, as an effect of the strong winds of the daily storms.

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle declared a State of Emergency in 30 counties on June 9, 2008 due to the flooding. FEMA inspectors are due to examine areas that suffered the most damage.

Continued heavy rains in the Wisconsin Dells led to the Dell creek bypassing the dam holding Lake Delton. On June 9, water rushing out of the lake eroded a section of County Highway A and washed away three homes and tore apart several others. The lake is now nearly empty and the escaping flood water has created a new channel for the Wisconsin River about a quarter mile away from the dam. Wisconsin National Guard engineers began repairs on the dam the same day, but with the breach being about 400 feet wide, the repairs are not expected to be completed for over a year. However, as Governor Jim Doyle called the lake critical to the $1 billion Wisconsin Dells tourism industry, he said the Department of Natural Resources was trying to figure out how to get the water flowing in the man-made lake. Already, there are tourists who had made summer reservations at the lake’s twenty resorts who have been canceling their reservations. The response of the local businesses have been varied. The Delton Oaks Resort, a 60-year operation, will be closing. Meanwhile, the iconic Wisconsin Dells boat tours are reopening despite the low water level. The "Tommy Bartlett Show" is going to continue, though the waterskiing aspect will be discarded at least until the lake is refilled.

NWS map of Wisconsin rainfall totals for June5,2008 to June 13, 2008.

In southwestern Wisconsin, the Kickapoo River rose several feet above flood stage, destroying most of the village of Gays Mills. Gays Mills had already been badly flooded in the August 2007 Floods. Officials said Kickapoo River flood damage in Vernon County likely will exceed the $60 million damage caused by the August 2007 floods, and already the water is two feet higher than the High water mark of a historic 1978 flood. In the early morning of June 9, 150 residents in the village of 625 were forced to evacuate. Ontario, Hillsboro, LaForge and Viola were also severely flooded, much worse then in August 2007. The county took an average of 9 inches of rain over the second weekend, causing mudslides and closing over 100 roads in Vernon, but the rain relented on Monday, June 16th. More thunderstorms, and more severe flooding, is expected in both Vernon and Crawford counties later this week. All the nearby dams have held, though many have sustained damage.

Westbound lanes of Interstate 94 were closed between Johnson Creek and Lake Mills on June 10, 2008 at 7 PM because of the rising Rock River. Eastbound lanes of Interstate 90/Interstate 94 were closed between WIS 82 in Juneau County and WIS 33 west of Portage. Also, Interstate 39 was closed in two places: Northbound at its interchange with I-90/94 and WIS 78, and southbound between WIS 82 and WIS 33. The closure of I-94 westbound in Jefferson County was extended eastward to WIS 83 in Waukesha County.The closure of the interstates around Portage were extended southward to US 151 east of Madison

The first reported fatality due to flooding in the state was confirmed June 14, 2008 in Waukesha County. 68-year-old Robert Schaf was found near his car on a flooded road in the town of Summit. Authorities report he died after being stranded on a flooded road, and was found in at least three feet of water.

Flooding has also affected the communities on the Baraboo River. The town of North Freedom had all but one road into town closed because of flooding. The flooding forced the closure of the Mid-Continent Railway Museum

On June 14, federal disaster aid from FEMA was authorized under a major disaster declaration issued for the state by President Bush. Federal funding is available to affected individuals in Colombia, Crawford, Milwaukee, Sauk and Vernon counties. There are continuing damage surveys being conducted, especially in the southeast, and the state assures inhabitants in other areas that other counties will be allowed to receive assistance.

A levee on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River broke Tuesday in a region already battered for days by severe flooding.

The breach happened just across the river from Burlington, Iowa, in Henderson County, Ill. This prompted Police to subsequently shut down a bridge six miles to the south.

June 16: Workers add sandbags to reinforce a levee holding the Mississippi River from cornfields near Kingston, Iowa.

The federal government predicts that a total of 27 levees could potentially overflow along the river if the weather forecast keeps on its path. The massive sandbagging effort fails to raise the level of the levees, according to a map obtained Monday by The Associated Press.

The breached levee leaves 26 more that could burst.

The BNSF Railway Co. swing span bridge over the Mississippi was closed early Tuesday to car traffic at Fort Madison, near the Iowa-Illinois line, Lee County Emergency Management Director Steve Cirinna said.

About 30 people were working to raise the railroad tracks above floodwaters, but BNSF Railway Co. spokesman Steve Forsberg said the bridge hadnt closed to trains.

Car traffic moves on the bridge and trains travel on tracks below.

The banks of the rising Mississippi were stacked with sandbags as the rest of Iowa began the slow move from protection to cleanup.

Officials placed millions of sandbags on top of the levees in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri to prevent overflowing. There was no way to predict whether the levees would break, said Ron Fournier, a spokesman with the Army Corps of Engineers in Iowa.

In much of Iowa, there were small signs of a return to normalcy, Interstate 80 reopened near Iowa City for the first time in days, with Interstate 380 to the north scheduled to reopen early Tuesday. On the University of Iowa campus, officials began to take stock of the damage.

One woman forced to evacuate her home had to take a row boat through the flooded streets with her 7-month-old baby and husband.

"There was a lot more water than I expected there to be, honestly," Jamie Duff told FOX News. "It was insane."

In Des Moines, where a levee failure Saturday sent water pouring into the Birdland neighborhood, some residents returned for the first time to see the damage.

"Its really bad. I mean, I cant believe this," said Gloria Ruiz, whose home suffered flood damage.

Ruiz pointed to a dirty line about 5 feet up on her basement wall showing how high the water rose. Her washer, dryer and boiler, and most of her childrens toys, including a stereo and an Xbox video game system, were ruined.

Floodwaters lingered about 50 feet from her driveway.

"We dont know how long it will stay like that," she said.

Where floodwaters remained, they were a noxious brew of sewage, farm chemicals and fuel. Bob Lanz used a 22-foot aluminum flatboat to navigate through downtown Oakville, where the water reeked of pig feces and diesel fuel.

"You can hardly stand it," Lanz said as he surveyed what remained of his familys hog farm. "Its strong."

LeRoy Lippert, Chairman of Emergency Management and Homeland Security in nearby Des Moines County, warned people to avoid the floodwaters: "If you drink this water and live, tell me about it. You have no idea. It is very, very wise to stay out of it. Its as dangerous as anything."

Gov. Chet Culver and others pointed to the next looming trouble spot, in southeastern Iowa. Most requests for state aid were coming from Des Moines County, where the Mississippi River was expected to crest Tuesday evening at 26 feet in a mostly rural area near Burlington. Early Tuesday, the river was at 25.7 feet, more than 10 feet above flood stage and still rising.

Crews were working to shore up a levee about 7 miles north of Burlington, where water covered about 2 blocks of the downtown area. Several businesses spent the night pumping water from basements, said Sgt. Chad Zahn of the Burlington Police Department.

Several thousand acres and about 250 homes would be flooded if the levee breaks, said Gina Hardin, the Countys Emergency Management Coordinator.

Brian Wiegand 48, of Oakville, was sandbagging the levee Monday evening near a drainage pumping station. He was concerned about more flooding as water began lapping to within a foot of top of sandbag wall.

"The Bible says the prayer of one man, God hears," Wiegand said. "Heres my prayer: I ask for the strength of God to fight this flood, and I ask for the grace to accept whatever happens."

On the Illinois side of the river across from Burlington, a levee broke Tuesday morning south of Gulfport, Ill., forcing the closure of a bridge that connects the two cities.

Two more deaths were reported Monday in Iowa, bringing the states death toll to five.

Also Monday, the American Red Cross said its disaster relief fund has been completely spent, and the agency is borrowing money to help flood victims throughout the Midwest.

In the college town of Iowa City, damage appeared limited. Some 400 homes took on water Sunday, and 16 University of Iowa buildings sustained some flood damage over the weekend. But the towns levees were holding and the Iowa River was falling.

Officials in Illinois were building up the approach to the only major bridge over the Mississippi River linking Hamilton with Keokuk, Iowa, so the bridge could stay open despite rising water.

In Cedar Rapids, hazardous conditions forced officials on Monday to stop taking residents into homes where the water had receded. Broken gas lines, sink holes and structural problems with homes made conditions unsafe, said Dave Koch, a city spokesman. Officials hoped to allow residents in soon.

Frustrations spilled over at one checkpoint, where a man was arrested at gunpoint after he tried to drive past police in his pickup truck.

All manner of refuse could be seen floating down the Iowa River, 55-gallon drums labeled, “corrosive”, propane tanks, wooden fences and railroad ties. Dead birds and fish sat on the citys 1st Avenue Bridge.

A few blocks away, a paint store stood with its windows blown out. A line indicating the high-water mark could be seen about 8 feet above the floor. At the gas station next door, strong currents had knocked over two pumps.

Also mixed into the floodwaters are pesticides, herbicides and fertilizer from Iowas vast stretches of farmland.

Ken Sharp, Environmental Health Director for the Iowa Department of Public Health, acknowledged that the floodwaters had the potential to make people sick. But he said the sheer volume of water can dilute hazardous substances.

"We dont typically see mass cases of disease or illness coming from floodwater, but under any circumstance like this, we want people to avoid it because we dont know whats in there," he said.

The flooding also raised concerns of contamination in rural wells, said G. Richard Olds, professor and chairman of the Medical College of Wisconsin.

"For rural folks, its going to be hard to know if their waters safe or not," he said.

In addition to the poison in the water, there are mosquitoes — millions of them spawning in acres of standing water. Greg Burg, assistant director of undergraduate biology at the University of Kansas, said “the flooding adds that much more water where they could potentially lay eggs and have the eggs survive."

Business was already heating up at Mosquito Control, a Rolfe, Iowa-based company that sprays insecticide from a crop-duster airplane.

Near Iowa City, Angela Betts and her three children were among those who fled last week when the Iowa River burst through a levee at Coralville. She stayed just long enough to fill two trash bags with clothes.

The family is now living in a shelter, and as far as Betts is concerned, everything she left behind can stay there.

"It bothers me, with everything thats in the water," she said. "I probably wont keep anything. It wont be worth it."