Thunderstorms threaten Iowa towns along Mississippi River

Many residents of the Midwest have been piling sandbags and pumping out water to protect their homes and businesses

Levee leak forces Iowa residents out of homes

DUBUQUE, Iowa (CNN) -- Thunderstorms rolling across the nation's midsection could deliver rain to already flooded areas along the swollen Mississippi River.

Computer models suggest northwest Nebraska, northwest Missiouri and Iowa, as well as portions of Minnesota and the Dakotas, could see locally heavy amounts of rainfall through the weekend of one to three inches.

More than 100 homes were evacuated after a levee holding back the Mississippi River sprung a leak.

"Officials issued a mandatory evacuation in East Dubuque," Red Cross spokeswoman Julie Thomas said Friday. "We have about 100 families in a shelter there."

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

About 90 miles downriver in Davenport, the volunteer sandbagging effort adjourned for the night.

"Some businesses are shoring up their properties and putting the finishing touches on some areas," said Scott County Emergency Management spokesman Ross Bergen.

The river is expected to crest on Tuesday in Davenport and because rain is expected to move into the area over the weekend, it might not recede until May 8, Bergen said.

The area was hit by floods in 1993, but Bergen said this time is different.

"Everything appears to be working so much better this year," he observed. "That's not to say people aren't going to have their homes damaged, but overall the effort is well coordinated. We're ahead of the game. It doesn't seem to have the panicked feeling in general that we saw in '93."

The Mississippi has already crested in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the National Weather Service predicted a slow fall of the river level beginning Saturday. But it was expected to remain above flood stage for the next two weeks, the agency said.

President Bush Friday expressed concern for the residents affected by the flooding in Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois, and commended the communities that had learned from previous floods and had taken preventive measures.

At the president's direction, Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Joe Allbaugh and staff are monitoring the floods, which have already damaged numerous homes and businesses along the river.

The waterway was closed to commercial traffic this week, and businesses that depend on the river were already feeling the financial pinch.

Dan Noble, left, and Tom Bouzek barbecue bratwurst on Friday in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin

"It wears on you, and I think after the first few days, we've had enough," said Lee Nelson, a river pilot in St. Paul, who owns boats that pull river barges. He estimated his employees are losing a total of $50,000 to $75,000 a week in wages.

The National Weather Service reported "major flooding" in cities all along the river. Though the river was expected to crest at more than eight feet above flood stage in some areas, predictions still were about a foot lower than record crest levels.

Even after the river crests, it will take some time for the water to recede, said Wisconsin Gov. Scott McCallum. He toured Prairie du Chien and La Crosse Thursday, making his way through the water in rubber boots and waders and helping to sandbag homes.

He declared a state of emergency this week for nine counties along the Mississippi, and said communities along the river are "exhausted."

"We literally have hundreds of homes along the Mississippi River that have been affected," he told CNN. "We've been preparing for it for some time, but it reaches the point of exhaustion."

Long weekend of rain threatens flooded Midwest
April 19, 2001
Mississippi edging up banks of Quad Cities area
April 18, 2001
Minnesota, Wisconsin watch flood-strained dikes
April 17, 2001

Minnesota Department of Public Safety
The National Weather Servicee

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