Evacuation Trailers at the Ready, Officials 'Hedging Our Bets' Against Flooding

Johnson County Emergency Management Coordinator Dave Wilson says the county is hoping for the best but preparing for the worst when it comes to flood preparation for the next few days.

"We don't anticipate there will be a problem, but we're hedging our bets," Wilson said.

What the county is preparing for is similar to the flash flooding that hit Iowa City on April 18, when heavy overnight rains led to mudslides at Mayflower Residence Hall, closed down Dubuque Street, and flooded houses and businesses near surging Ralston Creek. If a similar storm to the one in April hits overnight or Wednesday, this situation could be worsened by the already saturated ground after persistent rain this past weekend.

With this in mind, Wilson confirmed the county has readied two trailers at the Johnson County Fairground for use for housing people who need to be evacuated. Wilson said this is standard procedure and is done by the county in the event of blizzards, possible power outages, and other potential disasters.

"We move those trailers around a lot," Wilson said.

University officials also apparently have April's flood on their minds. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that University of Iowa officials may evacuate Mayflower Residence Hall, which is located on a low lying area of Dubuque Street and sustained considerable flood damage in 2008. 

The Press-Citizen cites Carrie Kiser-Wacker, who coordinates the university’s Summer Conference, calling evacuation a “probability” rather than a “possibility," while another school official told the newspaper that they would release details of their plan in the afternoon.

The Daily Iowan reports that the north bound lane in front of Mayflower has shut down and a flood barrier has been erected there.

Wilson said that officials at this time are more worried about the potential for flash flooding than for the potential of 1993 or 2008 level river flooding, where heavy and persistent rains to the north pushed the Iowa River to record heights.

Still the threat for flooding exists, and Wilson said the county is doing everything it can to be ready in the event of a sudden flooding scenario, even though as with everything in nature, they can't control everything.

"We can't control what the creeks and streams do," Wilson said. "What we're trying to avoid is having to rapidly react to an intense rainfall that happens on short notice."