A LOT OF RAIN HERE
IN EASTERN IOWA THE LAST TWO DAYS , ESPECIALLY ALONG
HIGHWAY 20 AND TO THE NORTH. AND LAST NIGHT, MORE RAIN. THIS RUSH OF WATER HAS CAUSED FLOODING
PROBLEMS ALONG THE MAQUOKETA RIVER. TO COMPLICATE MATTERS, THE
LAKE DELHI DAM COULD NOT
TAKE THE ONSLAUGHT AND
GAVE AWAY AT MID-MORNING.
BECAUSE THAT HAPPENED, THERE IS REAL CONCERN DOWNTSTREAM ON THE RIVER.
HERE, THIS MORNING, THE RIVER WENT OVER ITS BANK AND THE BALLPARK AT THE NORTH EDGE OF TOWN WAS COVERED. THE WORST PART OF FLOODING IN MAQUOKETA (WITH THE WATER THAT CAME THROUGH WHEN THE DAM GAVE) IS EXPECTED AROUND 6 TO 8 TONIGHT. AND THAT COULD CAUSE WATER TO GO FARTHER SOUTH OF THE BALLPARK, ACROSS GROVE STREET, AND MAYBE TO APPLE STREET. ABOVE, YOU SEE SANDBAGGING BEING DONE AROUND THE MAQUOKETA MUNICIPAL ELECTRIC PLANT. THE ARE DOING IT ALSO AT THE WATER PLANT NEARBY. THE MAQUOKETA RIVER AT BRIDGEPORT, WHERE
MEASUREMENTS ARE TAKEN, IS EXPECTED TO BE HIGHER OVER FLOOD STAGE
THAN EVER BEFORE. MONTICELLO HAS HAD PROBLEMS JUST LIKE MAQUOKETA
WITH THE RIVER THAT RUNS ALONG THE NORTH AND EAST SIDE OF TOWN AND
JUST PAST THE JONES COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS WHERE THE FAIR IS GOING ON.
THE ALAN JACKSON SHOW WAS PACKED LAST NIGHT AND RAIN DID START DURING
THE SHOW, BUT THEY KEPT IT GOING ANYWAY. TODAY, THE FAIR IS OPEN,
BUT NO MAJOR ATTRACTIONS. THE CATTLE BARNS ARE JUST UNDER WATER TO
ALL LIVESTOCK WAS REMOVED. NO PRIME STREER SHOW TODAY. NO 4-H LIVESTOCK SALE. NO STOCK CAR RACES. (MAQUOKETA'S RACES ALSO CANCELLED TONIGHT) NO GRANDSTAND SHOW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW, ALL GRANDSTAND
SHOWS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED. HAVING THIS HAPPEN THE LAST TWO DAYS
OF THE FAIR IS GOING TO BE COSTLY FOR ALL CONCERNED. THE GOVERNOR WAS IN MONTICELLO THIS AFTERNOON TO VIEW THE PROBLEMS. THERE IS NO MORE RAIN IN THE FORECAST TONIGHT. HOPEFULLY, THE RISING WATERS WON'T CAUSE AS MANY PROBLEMS AS ANTICIPATED. WE'LL WAIT AND SEE. SHERRI MELVOLD, KMAQ NEWS DIRECTOR, HAS BEEN FOLLOWING THE SITUATION ALL DAY AND
HAS GIVEN NUMEROUS REPORTS ON-THE-AIR AND WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR
THE SITUATION. TONIGHT, KMAQ AM AND FM WILL BE BROADCASTING THE
PRESTON STATE TOURNAMENT BASEBALL GAME FROM DES MOINES, STARTING
AT 6 P.M. YOU MIGHT CHECK THIS DAILY REPORT AGAIN AROUND 8 OR SO TONIGHT AND I'LL GIVE YOU THE BASEBALL SCORE, MAYBE HAVE ANOTHER
PHOTO AND AN UPDATE ON THE RISING WATERS OF THE SOMETIMES MEAN MAQUOKETA RIVER. RIGHT NOW, THE SUN IS SHINING IN MAQUOKETA AND AFTER THE HIGH TODAY OF 78, WE ARE AT 76.
CLICK - ON THE PHOTO TO ENLARGE IT.
DENNIS VOY