The residents of Spencer, Iowa, are on high alert due to strong storms that left severe flooding. Rescue teams had to help families trapped in their homes, while hundreds of people were evacuated, in a situation that city officials have declared historic.
The Little Sioux River in Spencer, which is about 190 miles from the capital Des Moines, overflowed after heavy storms, causing streets to turn into massive rivers. The city’s Firefighters rescuers had to use boats to navigate in search of people who were trapped in their homes.
The sewers don’t work
City officials reported this Sunday through a press conference that the sewer system is not working. Additionally, some people were left without power. They had to evacuate hundreds of families to shelters that opened in different parts of Spencer.
“Due to heavy rains and flooding that is growing at historic levels, and continuing to rise from the Little Sioux and Ocheyedan Rivers, all roads into Spencer have been closed,” they wrote on social media.
Sioux City Fire Rescue responders assisted with rescues in Rock Valley and Hawarden where people were trapped by the flood.
To keep all citizens informed, they also added, “this is an emergency situation and citizens should shelter in place if they can. The city’s sewer plant was flooded and is now inoperable. There will be no sewer service for the next 24-48 hours, with updates available.”
“Catastrophic flood, reached epic proportions”
This Sunday, June 23, Spencer Mayor Steve Bomgaars and other city officials held a press conference to report on what they called “catastrophic flooding.”
“City and Emergency Management staff met on Friday to prepare for flooding with a crest of approximately 17 and a half feet,” Bomgaars said. “Obviously, the river reached a much higher level and faster; “The city and all emergency teams had to pivot and shift gears when the flooding reached epic proportions,” he confirmed.
It is important to mention that officials have asked all people who remain in their homes not to flush the toilet or turn on the shower faucets, although they were not affected by the floods, since the staff is working in the sewer, as they must take into account that the water in the streets is dirty.
Spencer Municipal Utilities has been working to return power to the entire community, but there are still areas where power is not online. SMU notified the city that the water is safe to drink, however, they had to shut off water service to some parts of southeast Spencer.
The National Guard sent help
“The National Guard has sent guards to help us with our situation. “Governor Kim Reynolds has declared Clay County a disaster area, and more information will be forthcoming on how that affects the city, county and citizens of Spencer and Clay County,” she commented.
For his part, Spencer Fire Chief Jesse Coulson said during the conference that he estimates that the rescues his teams carried out on Saturday were 383, of which 73 were on the north side of the city and 310 on the north side. south.
“This started for us on Saturday morning at 5:15 with our first rescues,” Coulson said. “We had two people in a submerged vehicle just north of town, right off the highway.”
Chief Coulson pointed out that by Sunday afternoon almost all of the rescues had been accounted for. “If there are missing people, they haven’t informed us yet,” he said.
No one can go out because it is dangerous
Officials asked the population not to leave their reservations because it could be dangerous, “it is not advisable to travel within Spencer unless it is urgent, due to high water levels and road closures.” Cars cannot walk with the water level on the streets because it could be dangerous.
A curfew was imposed over the weekend, and they added more time on Sunday night, which starts at 10:30 p.m. until 6 a.m. on Monday. Likewise, they rated that these floods exceeded the record established in 1953.
“The road situation is obviously fluctuating, we have reached the peak, so the roads are starting to open. As soon as the water begins to go down, resources and assistance can be brought in,” added Clay County Emergency Management Coordinator Eric Tigges.
Mark White, director of public works for the city of Spencer, said the wastewater treatment plant was flooded, so outside contractors were hired to help pump out water and assess the damage before repairs can begin.
“We are going to recover from this”
“Our message is that we are going to recover from this,” Mayor Bomgaars said. “Our teams have been outstanding with the work they have done so far.”
The Spencer Chamber of Commerce created a place to donate funds for recovery efforts. It should be noted that you can search for it through your Facebook and they advised you not to pay attention to other pages that are requesting financial support because they could be a fraud.
“I am very proud of the entire community’s response to this disaster. Our citizens have come together to help their friends and neighbors, and I am sure they will continue in their efforts. We will recover,” wrote Mayor Steve Bomgaars.
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