City of Council Bluffs prepares for flooding

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (WOWT) - The City of Council Bluffs is preparing for more flooding along the riverfront.

Mayor Matt Walsh doesn’t mince words when talking about the rising Missouri River.

Walsh said, “At 34 feet, I believe it will be the third highest crest of the river in history.”

The potential for flooding is now prompting a call for people on the west side of the levee to voluntarily evacuate.

Walsh said, “We only think there’s a handful of residences that are on the west side of the levee, and so those people who live along the river, who aren’t protected by a levee, and got water in 2019 should expect to get water this year.”

Walsh says other than that he isn’t worried.

“If you are in the levee, inside the levee, you should not have a problem. As far as the flooding on the river, it should not be an issue for 99.9 percent of the residents,” he said.

At River’s Edge, city crews removed anything that could float away. Construction crews at Harrah’s Casino removed shipping containers full of material for remodeling. Barricades are in place and ready to go up at Hanafan Park.

“We haven’t seen this kind of flood in many years,” said Susan Thornton of Omaha. “It’s kind of scary in a way.”

Mayor Walsh is asking people to avoid the area as much as possible.

“Everyone wants to come down and take a look, but we are going to have vehicles on the levee. Don’t drive on the levee, stay away from the levee because we have people working to help other people,” he said.

Areas along the riverfront in Council Bluffs are expected to close sometime Tuesday.

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