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Article: Floodwaters force evacuations in Cedar Rapids
- Article from:
- Telegraph - Herald (Dubuque)
- Article date:
- June 14, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2008 Telegraph - Herald (Dubuque). Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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CEDAR RAPIDS (AP) - Hospital patients in wheelchairs and on
stretchers were evacuated in the middle of the night as the biggest
flood Cedar Rapids has ever seen swamped more than 400 blocks Friday
and all but cut off the supply of clean drinking water in the city
of 120,000.
As many as 10,000 townspeople driven from their homes by the rain-
swollen Cedar River took shelter at schools and hotels or moved in
with relatives.
About 100 miles to the west, the Des Moines River threatened to
spill over the levees into downtown Des Moines, prompting officials
in Iowa's biggest city to urge people in low-lying areas to clear
out by Friday evening. The river was expected to crest a couple of
hours ...