Several tailgating tents fell over, with debris floating through the floodwaters Wednesday, Aug. 11 in the Iowa State Center parking lot. Water continued to fill the area as the South Skunk River and Squaw Creek reached record levels. Water damaged several buildings in the Iowa State Center complex, including Hilton Coliseum. Photo: Logan Gaedke/Iowa State Daily
A tale of two cities
By Jessica.Opoien @iowastatedaily.com
I
t was a tale of two cities as Ames residents discovered that days of rain had split the town in two. In some areas, people could come and go freely — but for others, the only way out was by boat. Storms descended on Ames the evening of Aug. 10. The deluge was not unlike those the town had seen in the days before, but the rain that fell from Tuesday into Wednesday — 3.86 inches — was enough to
push flooding to record levels. The South Skunk River at U.S. Highway 30 crested at about 10 a.m. Aug. 11, setting a new record at 26.72 feet. The previous record, 25.57 feet, was recorded on June 27, 1975. The Squaw Creek at Lincoln Way crested at about 8 a.m. Aug. 11, at 18.13 feet — falling shy of the record, 18.54 feet, set on June 9, 1993. As the floodwaters began to recede, Ames residents and businesses felt the impact. People were evacuated from their homes and workplaces. A boil order sent
people flocking to grocery stores to prepare for the impending limits on water consumption. Four days after the boil order was instated, it was lifted with the announcement that all water samples had tested negative for bacteria. The costs of damage to facilities such as Iowa State’s Hilton Coliseum and some local businesses remain unknown. Cleaning service vans are now a familiar sight around Ames, as businesses attempt to repair and reopen.
A group of friends play in a flooded area of the Southeast Intramural Fields on Tuesday, Aug. 10. Photo: Logan Gaedke/Iowa State Daily
TUESDAY
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The ISU campus, which shut down for one day, awaits the arrival of about 28,000 students for the start of classes Aug. 23. In some places, Iowa State’s intramural fields resemble lakes. Other parts of campus appear untouched by disaster. A Presidential Disaster Declaration for Individual Assistance has been granted to 29 Iowa counties, including Story County. Aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will come for those who need it, but for some, recovery won’t begin until the floodwaters have dried.
Jack, the dog, owned by Kevin Charlson of Ames, plays in the floodwaters of Squaw Creek on Tuesday, Aug. 10, at Brookside Park. Photo: Rebekka Brown/Iowa State Daily
August 17, 2010, Volume 206 >> Number 0.1 >> Free >> iowastatedaily.com >> An independent newspaper serving Iowa State since 1890
Hilton waterlogged Floodwaters filled Hilton Coliseum
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Lied closed Water forced the closure of Lied Rec
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Residents cleanup Floodwaters leave widespread damage