Mississippi edging up banks of Quad Cities area

Flooding in Guttenburg, Iowa, on Wednesday     ON THE NEWS Keith Oppenheim: Midwest flooding danger persists

In this story: Flooding closes 400 miles of river Dikes holding in Wisconsin city RELATED STORIES, SITES

DAVENPORT, Iowa (CNN) -- The Mississippi River is climbing a foot a day around the Quad Cities metro area of Illinois and Iowa, where Davenport leaders prepared for flood losses.

Even though Davenport is creating levees, dikes and berms, "... we can't keep all the water out," said Ross Bergen, the emergency management director for Scott County, Iowa.

Davenport is one of the few cities along the river that lacks permanent levees. Despite the concerns, no residents have been evacuated so far, Bergen said.

Many cities built new dike systems or improved existing ones after major past floods, including one in 1993 that set records in many spots. Davenport decided to rely on planning and hard work.

VIDEO CNN's Keith Oppenheim says residents are responding calmly as waters continue to rise Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     INTERACTIVE Techniques for fighting floodwaters     CNN WEATHER FORECASTS Davenport, IA La Crosse, WI Shakopee, WI Grand Forks, ND Granite Falls, MN     RESOURCES CNN weather satellite: U.S. North Central

"They have good plans in the communities, and they learned a lot of lessons in '93," Bergen said. "They've been prepared since last week, early, by getting their staff together in the communities and getting sandbags out to the unincorporated areas."

The National Weather Service has predicted near-record river levels for the Quad Cities area within a week.

Meteorologist David Sheets said the Mississippi has been rising about a foot a day and is forecast to rise another four to five feet by April 25. The river is expected to crest at 21.5 to 22.5 feet, just short of the 1993 record of 22.6 feet.

Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, who declared 10 counties disaster areas on Monday, said the flood could be worse than those that struck his state in 1993 and 1997.

"We have the Department of Corrections, the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Transportation, our emergency management division (and) our Iowa National Guard working with local folks to try to put hundreds of thousands of sandbags in appropriate locations to try to reduce the damage and the impact." Vilsack said. "It's just a race against time."

Nine counties in Wisconsin and 16 in Minnesota already have declared states of emergency as floods forced hundreds from their homes. The Mississippi was expected to reach record or near-record levels as rain and late snowmelt drove the river higher.

"It was a very tough winter for us. We didn't have the normal thaw, and as a result we're getting essentially all of this water at one time," Vilsack said.

Flooding closes 400 miles of river

Volunteers worked to lay sandbags and build dikes, "but when you get to these record levels, there's nothing you can do," Vilsack said.

A Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, resident walks through water to remove garbage from his home on Wednesday

Iowans worry that a forecast of more rain could overwhelm the preparations they have made so far.

"We hope the forecast of 23 feet, 5 inches on Thursday will work out, because we're prepared for that," said McGregor, Iowa, resident Jerry Haas. "But then you have to rush all of a sudden if that changes and rush like mad to keep up with them."

More than 400 miles of the Mississippi, from Muscatine, Iowa, to Minneapolis, Minnesota, were closed to navigation because of the floods. Rail service is also disrupted: Amtrak and Burlington Northern Santa Fe have stopped trains between Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul.

In St. Paul, the river topped 23 feet for the first time since the 1960s, covering four city parks and a downtown airport for small planes. Officials expected the airport would not reopen until May or June.

Dikes holding in Wisconsin city

Downstream, the Mississippi crested Wednesday morning in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Dikes here held firm as the river crested more than 4 feet above flood stage, but about a foot and a half under the capacity of the dike system of this southwestern Wisconsin city.

Keith Butler, dispatch supervisor for La Crosse County Emergency Management, said the river crested at 16.4 feet at 5 a.m.

"There have been no breaches," Butler said. "People have been out monitoring the dikes all night long."

Sewer and water services were cut off in some areas, roads were closed, and basements filled with water. But officials said it could have been even worse.

"We're beaten and battered, but not broken," said Stephen Popovich, mayor of the St. Croix community of St. Mary's Point, Minnesota, just north of Afton, where 40 homes had watery basements.

Minnesota, Wisconsin watch flood-strained dikes
April 17, 2001
Flood predictions lowered, but Midwest rivers still rising
April 13, 2001

Minnesota Department of Public Safety
The National Weather Servicee

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