Muddy flood waters retreated from sections of Iowa's two largest cities today, exposing ruined homes and businesses, while the battle against still-rising rivers continued downstream.
Authorities opened a second breach in a broken levee built to hold back the raging Des Moines River to allow flood waters to escape the riverfront neighborhood.
Des Moines lifted a voluntary evacuation order for the remainder of the state capital that had been threatened.
In flood-stricken Cedar Rapids, some of the evacuated residents got their first look at ruined homes from canoes, and authorities organized checkpoints to allow homeowners one-time trips to assess the damage.
More than 9 square miles, or 1,300 city blocks, of the city of 140,000 were flooded at one point, and the fast-retreating water exposed a thick muck that officials warned could contain hazardous chemicals.
Owners of businesses in downtown Cedar Rapids, where the water topped streets signs and shut down a giant cereal factory, were escorted to their offices on upper floors of buildings via an elevated "skywalk" to retrieve laptop computers and documents. Pumps were brought in to salvage the police station.