|
 STALLED FIELD WORK—A tractor and field cultivator set in a field near Missouri Valley, Iowa where flood waters have delayed farmers since the rains on May 6. (Photo by Missouri Valley Times.) Floodwaters drown southwest Iowa farmlandBy Jennifer Bremer The same storm that caused devastation in Kansas also hit southwestern Iowa with rain and caused severe flooding. The residents of Missouri Valley, Red Oak, Hamburg, Shenandoah and other towns are now dealing with the cleanup of their farms, homes and businesses due to high waters. Missouri Valley farmer Dean McIntosh had 200 acres of farmland that he operates under water with the Willow Creek levee broke just north of the Harrison County town. "There's probably one to two feet of sand on a couple acres by the creek and plenty of trees and other debris to keep us busy once it does dry out," said McIntosh. Unofficial rainfall totals in southwest Iowa are anywhere from six to 12 inches of rain in the four-day period from May 3 to 6. McIntosh said that regardless of how much rain they did get it was way too much for the creek, dikes, levees and terraces to handle. "The excavators will have a lot of work to do to get the creek banks and farm ground back in working order," he added. Besides the creek bottom ground which was under four-foot of water, he also had water on another 80 acres on farther south of town. He was also forced to remove 40,000 bushels ofcornfrom a grain bin on a farmstead that was surrounded by water. "The waters started rising and got up in the bin's dryer. We actually got it all out without too much damage to the grain," he said. "It could have been worse." McIntosh expects that he will have about 100 acres that he won't be able to farm this year due to the flooding. Another 70 acres will have to be planted to soybeans later after it dries out. He said many of the farmers in the area hope that the rains will stop long enough for the fields to dry out and allow them to at least plant soybeans. "By the time it's dry enough, it will be too late to plantcornso our area will be heavy on soybeans this year," he said. McIntosh said that he and another farmer friend estimated that there could have been as much as 5,000 acres of farm ground underwater during the most severe flooding on May 7 and 8. Brad Herman, whose farm is three miles north of Willow Creek had nearly 200 acres under water. "Right now, nothing looks good. The bottoms are so wet and were under water and the hills had so much runoff that they have to be replanted too," he said. He also stressed that there is a major problem with many roads in the flooded areas. "We had so much water over our road we had to drive an extra five miles to do cattle chores that are only a half a mile from our house," said Herman. "Many county roads have washed away or are damaged severely." Harrison County Engineer Thomas Stoner said in a report that the road department is looking at probably $2 million in damage. It is estimated that some roads could take as long as one year to be properly repaired. Herman was about 80 percent done planting hiscornand just recently finished planting beans. However, he has about 215 acres that had been planted and are questionable. He plans to replant as much as he can if the ground dries out enough, but some of the ground may not dry out this year. Both McIntosh and Herman have learned that living and farming near Missouri Valley means they will have flooding on their land and the best they can hope for is for a normal amount of rainfall. Although both farmers will suffer some loss this year due to the floodwaters they both stressed that they are lucky because they will be able to farm another year. "It's the people in the western side of Missouri Valley that have suffered the most. Many don't have a place to live because the water was so high in their homes," said McIntosh. "All the muck and mold in those homes - they are a complete loss." Flooding has been longtime threat for the residents of Missouri Valley - dating back to 1949, when a disastrous flood hit the area. Other serious floods occurred in 1952 and 1965. More recently, residents have dealt with three floods since the well-known flood of 1993. On, May 13, Missouri Valley residents were allowed back into their town. Pumps continued to remove water from flooded streets, allowing residents and business owners the opportunity to see their properties without floodwaters surrounding them or furnishings and personal belongings floating by. Iowa Governor Chet Culver issued an emergency proclamation last week for 17 Iowa counties that allows state resources, such as employees and equipment , to be used to help local communities at no cost. Montgomery, Harrison, Decatur, Fremont and Pottawattamie Counties were declared disaster areas after his trip to the area on May 9. To assist Missouri Valley flood victims go to http://mvflood.com Jennifer Bremer can be reached by phone at 641-938-2342 or by e-mail at jbremermaj@hotmail.com. E 7 5/21/07 Date: 5/15/07
Copyright/Privacy
Copyright 1995-2011. High Plains Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Any republishing of these pages, including electronic reproduction of the editorial archives or classified advertising, is strictly prohibited. If you have questions or comments you can reach us at High Plains Journal 1500 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd., P.O. Box 760, Dodge City, KS 67801 or call 1-800-452-7171. Email: webmaster@hpj.com |
|
