Davenport keeping nose out of the water -- just

Flooding Mississippi knocks on Iowa town's door

Davenport city workers Dave LaGrange, left, and Jeff Anderson adjust a pump hose on a dike holding back Mississippi River floodwaters Tuesday in downtown Davenport, Iowa

In this story: More guardsmen on duty Controversy over Davenport's lack of flood wall 100-year floods more frequent RELATED STORIES, SITES

DAVENPORT, Iowa (CNN) -- The Mississippi River inched slowly toward a high water mark on Tuesday in Davenport, Iowa, where residents hoped a makeshift levee could keep the waters out of the heart of the city.

The flood was expected to crest just short of both a record and the height of the dike that was the only barrier between the swollen river and downtown.

VIDEO Davenport may flood because the city government prefers tourist and business dollars over an occasional disaster. CNN's Lilian Kim reports Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Bob Franken reports on flooding in the town of Davenport, Iowa 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 TheIowaChannel.com - Worst Mississippi Flooding Hitting Quad Cities

The sandbag levee would withstand a river level of 23 feet -- inches above the 1993 high water mark of 22.63 feet and the expected crest of 22.5 feet. By midmorning, the river had reached 22.23 feet, already the third highest level on record in Davenport.

And forecasters promised the waters would stay around awhile after the crest.

"It's going to be very slow going down, so we'll be fighting this river for probably another week and a half in a serious way," said Dee Bruemmer, the city's public works director.

Strong winds on Monday kept wind chills below freezing, but the winds had calmed Tuesday morning and the temperatures were rising toward the 60s.

The winds were picking up again by afternoon, however, prompting more fears about waves on a river already just inches below the levee.

More guardsmen on duty

Some cities got a break, however -- upstream at Camanche the river crested a foot below the 1965 record, and was expected to crest at 2 feet below the record in Buffalo.

But Davenport was already too close to the record. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said that 181 billion gallons of water would flow by the city, at a speed of 4 mph, during the 12 hours before and 12 hours after the crest.

The normal flow for this week in late April is 69 billion gallons per day moving at 2 mph.

Pumps set up beside the dikes in many areas kept up through the morning and into the afternoon as water pushed into streets through storm sewers and other underground pathways.

A survey of homes in Davenport found 38 with serious damage so far, and officials were scrambling to keep that number as low as possible. But other river properties were already flooded and the John O'Donnell Stadium, one of the nation's most picturesque minor league parks, was under several feet of water.

The Iowa National Guard upped its contingent of soldiers in downtown Davenport to 210 Tuesday morning, the largest group on duty for flood control.

Controversy over Davenport's lack of flood wall

Meanwhile, Davenport faced some criticism from the nation's top disaster administrator who said the city needs to do more to protect itself against floods.

The city -- the only major town on the upper Mississippi without a permanent flood wall -- has opted to keep its river view unobstructed -- Mayor Phil Yerington noted that tourism dollars for Davenport's various festivals and casinos brings the area $100 million per year.

"I don't think we're in a position to let that go," Yerington said.

The criticism from Federal Emergency Management Agency director Joe Allbaugh, who said that U.S. taxpayers may be footing too much of the bill to keep Davenport's tourism dollars flowing, angered Yerington.

"When no other part of the country is punished for natural disasters ... don't make it look like we don't pay any dollars anywhere, (that) we just sit here in the Midwest, we flood every three years and we stand here with our hands out, because that's not what's going on," Yerington said.

"We contribute heavily to the disasters that go on in other areas around the country, and nobody hears us complain," he said. "Don't insult what we've tried to do, and the people who we are, because we're in the Midwest and live along a major river."

Mary Boley rests on a sand wall protecting the gas station she owns with her husband in LeClaire, Iowa, Tuesday

Iowa Gov. Thomas Vilsack didn't step into the fray, saying it's a local decision.

100-year floods more frequent

Severe spring floods in Iowa have begun to seem more like the rule than the exception. Ironically, an increase in dikes along the river to contain floodwater in narrower channels has helped raise flood waters to levels once expected only once every 100 years.

"Iowa has been hit with three 100-year floods in the last 20, 30 years, so perhaps we need to recalculate what a 100-year flood is," said Vilsack.

Fifteen miles upriver from Davenport, about a dozen homes in Le Claire were evacuated after a breach in a sand dike flooded the area.

"We have water in and around them, " said a weary Le Claire public works supervisor John Arndt.

Another breach in a separate dike was threatening another eight to 10 homes Tuesday morning, he said.

After more than two weeks of battling the flood waters, "everybody getting tired, this has been going on for a while," Arndt said.

CNN Correspondents Lilian Kim, Bob Franken and Jeff Flock contributed to this report.

Mississippi breaches levee in town near Davenport
April 23, 2001
Davenport ballpark flooded as Guard sends more troops
April 22, 2001
Iowa levees feel weight of Mississippi
April 21, 2001
More rain forecast for flooded Midwest
April 20, 2001
Long weekend of rain threatens flooded Midwest
April 19, 2001

Federal Emergency Management Agency
Iowa National Guard
Minnesota Department of Public Safety
The National Weather Servicee
Quad City Times Newspaper
  • Flood2001.com

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