Midwest Flooding June 2008

Brutal storms with heavy rain and tornadoes swept through the Midwestern region of the United States in June 2008, causing massive flooding in several states. Iowa, Illinois and Missouri were particularly hard hit. The Iowa town of Cedar Rapids was inundated with water and evacuated on June 12, 2008.

Fast Facts

1. Damage estimates from Iowa flooding more than $1 billion¹
2. Five people killed in Iowa flooding²
3. More than 38,000 people displaced²
4. Residents in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, Iowa, evacuated at height of the flooding
5. Breached levees in Illinois towns of Gulfport and Meyer forced hundreds of evacuations¹
6. Feds said 27 levees along the Mississippi River were at risk of overflowing³
7. Millions of sandbags were placed to try and shore up levees³
8. The Mississippi River was expected to crest later in the week¹
9. Damage estimates in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as high as $1 billion⁴
10. Officials estimated 3,900 homes in Cedar Rapids damaged by flooding⁴
11. 1,300 city blocks submerged at the height of the flooding⁵

Broken Levees

By June 17, 2008, towns along the Mississippi River from Illinois to Missouri were rushing to build barriers to try and hold back rising floodwaters. Federal officials warned as many as 27 levees could overflow as the river continued to rise.³

By June 18, levees had already broken near the Illinois towns of Gulfport and Meyer. The breaks forced hundreds of evacuations and threatened thousands of acres of farmland.¹

Cedar Rapids Flood

The eastern Iowa city of Cedar Rapids experienced its worst flooding in history in June 2008. By June 16, 2008, more than 36,000 people had been evacuated from their homes in Iowa, and 24,000 in Cedar Rapids.⁶

As the floodwaters began to recede, some residents were allowed back into the town to check on homes and businesses. Cedar Rapids officials said property damage in the town could exceed $1 billion.⁴

Categories