Reservoir Update
As of 3 am this morning, the Army Corps of Engineers is reporting outflow at the Coralville Reservoir of about 46,000 CFS. Inflow is at around 58,000 CFS. This outflow amount is higher than I've heard any news agency predict and it means that the river is still rising at an alarming rate.
As I worked near the river last night, the waters are deceptively peaceful. The night was cool and calm and you could hear the normal river sounds and calming water flow noises. When you are near the flood waters, it doesn't seem like anything is wrong. That is until you look behind you and see the preparations going on and the water creeping into the first floors of the buildings and the roads closing. I'm hearing reports today that the city will be divided and all roads in Iowa City across the river will be closed.
With all of the thought and planning put into this city by civil engineers and architects, we simply were not prepared for an event of this magnitude.
