New Crisis Hits Flooded Cities

Water treatment plants shut down
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 20, 2019 6:50 PM CDT
New Crisis Hits Flooded Cities
In this Wednesday, March 20, 2019 photo provided by the Missouri State Highway Patrol shows Water Patrol Troopers assisting utility company employees in shutting off natural gas lines in flood waters at Craig, Mo.   (Missouri State Highway Patrol, via AP)

As some communities along the Missouri River start to shift their focus to flood recovery after a late-winter storm, residents in two Iowa cities are stuck in crisis mode after their treatment plants shut down and left them in need of fresh water, the AP reports. Tanker trucks from the Iowa National Guard and a private company are hauling water into Hamburg and Glenwood, said Lucinda Parker, a spokeswoman with Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Many evacuated from flooded areas in the southwestern part of the state are staying in shelters or with family and friends in the wake of the flooding and water struggles it has caused. "The water is starting to go down in communities and they're looking at how they're going to start their recovery," Parker said Wednesday.

Trucks are hauling about 300,000 gallons per day to Glenwood's water treatment plant from the neighboring cities of Red Oak and Shenandoah, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. Grocery store chains Hy-Vee and Fareway also have provided truckloads of bottled water. Mike Wells, superintendent of the Hamburg Community School District, said one of the biggest concerns about having no fresh water is staying clean. The school district has coordinated providing buses for residents to ride 25 miles to Shenandoah or 10 miles to Sidney to shower. A local ministerial society has been picking up residents' laundry at the school district, taking it to Shenandoah to wash it, and returning it. "These are the best people," Wells said. "There's no despair. There's no giving up."

(More flooding stories.)

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