SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Residents of three states along the Big Sioux River have been lining up for sandbags and moving items to higher ground.
The river has been swollen by days of thunderstorms. It’s expected to crest tomorrow more than a foot above the previous record level, set in 1969. The flooding would threaten homes and businesses in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota.
In North Sioux City, South Dakota, dozens of National Guard soldiers have been rushing to fill sandbags for residents of a neighborhood where as many as 400 homes are in danger of flooding. At the Railroad Museum near the river in Sioux City, Iowa, volunteers helped staff move artifacts to higher ground because the main building is expected to get about five feet of water.
Crews have been building a temporary levee that will run across Interstate 29. It should protect much of North Sioux City, but it will close off a few miles of the interstate and force traffic onto local roads between Sioux City and Sioux Falls.
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APPHOTO RPDL204: A farm house sits surrounded by flood water, Thursday, June 19, 2014, in Hawarden, Iowa. Cities in Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota are fighting a surging Big Sioux River after heavy rain this week pushed the waterway to record levels in some locations. (AP Photo/Dirk Lammers) (19 Jun 2014)
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