Flash flooding in southern Iowa
May 15, 2009

Large parts of southern Iowa spent a large portion of today under flash flood warnings due to heavy rainfall and a succession of storms that made things unpleasant (and have continued to do so all afternoon). It's a reminder of how things normally operate in the Upper Midwest in April and May, and perhaps as a more compelling reminder to homeowners to check their sump pumps and consider battery-backup sump pump systems if they haven't before. The same storms that produce enough rainfall to overwhelm sump pumps and drainage systems are the same ones that produce high winds and lightning, which can knock out the power to regular sump pumps. It's a cruel irony, but one which backup measures can overcome. Like households, cities need to plan for power outages in storms as well, with systems like engine-backup pump stations.

May 2009
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last revised May 2009