DES MOINES -Muddy flood waters retreated from sections of Iowa's two largest cities yesterday, 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 escape the river-front neighbourhood.
Des Moines lifted a voluntary evacuation order for the remainder of the state capital which had been threatened.
In flood-stricken Cedar Rapids, some of the evacuated residents got their first look at ruined homes from canoes, and authorities organised checkpoints to allow homeowners one-time trips to assess the damage.
More than 14sq km, 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.
Delores Korsmo found ankle-deep water inside her home, with the refrigerator floating in the middle of the kitchen. She said she has no flood insurance.
"I hope I can get it fixed up," she told the Cedar Rapids Gazette. "I'll have to find someone with money."
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.
Cedar Rapids gave a preliminary damage estimate from the flooding of more than $700 million.
Governor Chet Culver said Iowa's losses could be in the billions of dollars, with 83 of 99 counties declared disaster zones and seeking federal aid. Three people died in flood-related incidents, and 12 were killed by tornadoes.
Besides Iowa, flooding has inundated parts of Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana - disrupting businesses and tourism, and shutting down factories and processors.
Heavy spring rains have delayed planting of crops and submerged farm fields, sparking a record spike in corn prices and price jumps for other commodities. This may aggravate an upsurge in inflation, lifting food prices further and increasing costs of making fuel like ethanol from corn. - (Reuters)