flood of 1993 (Des Moines, Davenport, West Des Moines: university, living, moving to)

[soliloquystress]

I am considering moving to Fairfield, Iowa and would like to know if anyone on this forum has direct knowledge, or otherwise reliable experience of, the floods of 1993. What areas, if any were spared? Did Fairfield get hit hard?
Any insights are welcome. Thanks.

[vergla]

the only area got hit hard in 1993 was in des moines and that other time was over 80 years that got hit real bad if your going to be near lakes yes there is a chance it will flood but not like what happen over 13 years ago .

[duster1979]

Originally Posted by vergla

the only area got hit hard in 1993 was in des moines

Wrong answer. Many communities were "hit hard" by flooding in the spring of 1993.

However, Fairfield wasn't one of them.

[aphorista]

I believe Ottumwa experienced flooding.

[chrisfromiowa]

Davenport got hit hard since its on the mississippi...idk what these other ppl are talkin about...

[aphorista]

The Mississippi is not the only river in Iowa.

[jeffs]

yeah i lived in davenport. It got the worst. CNN and NBC came and did a national news report. It was flooded all the way to 4th st. in downtown

[Tek_Freek]

The first indication that a problem was developing came when an area NW of Des Moines, around the Raccoon River valley, received 10 inches of rain in a very short period of time. The Manager of the West Des Moines Water facility went up to look at the result and immediately called for sandbagging of the area around the water plant. I believe this was around 2:00 am.

The manager of the water plant in Des Moines waited until it was too late. Because of the way that plant is situated I doubt they could have kept it working even with ample warning. The plant was flooded and DSM had no water that summer. WDM closed the valves that fed water between the cities to protect their water supply.

That 10 inches of rain was the harbinger of a summer that those who lived through it will not forget.

The water plant in DSM now has a 19/20 foot dirt dam around it, including steel gates that close over the roadway. There are other areas in DSM and WDM that have done the same (63rd and Grand as an example).

Pretty much any city beyond DSM on the DSM River got hit. The Mississippi got anyone living by it.

A story: One of the engineers I worked with at the time was coming back to DSM on the Interstate. Being from a foreign country he sometimes had a difficult time with the language. He was stopped by the highway patrol and told to take an alternate route. When asked why he was told "The Raccoon is out". As he told us later he was trying to figure just how big a raccoon had to be to close an interstate!

Another fellow employee contracted a virus that attacked his heart while sandbagging. The last I heard he is okay, but is careful about certain things.

[dbridges]

There was no "flood of 93" it was more like FLOODS (plural) I happened to live in the Iowa River flood plain and though we were spared from any major damage, we did have to replace a few items in our basement. Your best bet if you are contemplating a move to Fairfield would be to talk to the local realtors and residents to find the most suitable location for you. I don't think you would have to worry much about flooding as long as you don't place yourself on lower ground and/or near a water source. Besides, sever flooding as that which happened in 1993 does not occur that extremely often...

[gnichols]

In 1993 everything that could flood did. You cannot protect yourself from rare weather events. If it's not one thing it's another. Especially in Iowa - if you don't like the weather wait a minute. I think you will like Fairfield. Maharishi University gives the town a flavor like no other. Go for it!