Thousands flee homes in Cedar Rapids ahead of floodwaters
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- A city spokeswoman says about half of the homes and businesses in an area of Cedar Rapids expected to see flooding have been evacuated.
After days of heavy rain, the Cedar River is overflowing, CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley reported. It’s nearly reached the bottom of several bridges.
A quarter of a million sandbags have been filled to protect downtown.
The city asked residents and property owners along the rain-swollen Cedar River to leave by 8 p.m. Sunday, two days before the river is expected to crest.
The Cedar River is continuing to rise and exceeded 20 feet earlier Monday. This marks the second time the river has ever exceeded 20 feet in the 165 years on record, CBS affiliate KGAN reported.
City spokeswoman Gail Loskill said Monday that police believe about half of the 3,400 residential and 550 commercial parcels in the zone have been evacuated. Loskill couldn’t say how many people remain.
The National Weather Service says the river is forecast to crest Tuesday at 23 feet, which is about 7 feet into the category of major flooding but still below the 2008 record.
Cedar Rapids is Iowa’s second-largest city, with around 130,000 residents.