Flood cleanup underway along Missouri River in Council Bluffs

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (WOWT) - It’s all hands on deck in Council Bluffs, where crews are cleaning up after flooding along the riverfront.

“Right now, we’ve got a brown lawn,” said the city’s communications director, Ashley Kruse.

Hanafan Park looks like a big brown mess at the moment. Flood waters left debris scattered, puddles of water, and residue covering the parking lot.

“They’ll work to get that back to green, we’re just not sure how long that will take,” Kruse said.

When the Missouri River began flooding, city officials weren’t overly concerned.

“You know, you always plan for the worst and hope for the best,” said Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh.

However, Walsh said two rounds of heavy rain didn’t help.

“In this case we didn’t get the best, we got the worst,” Walsh said. “For a quick hit flood event that’s in an out of here in seven to 10 days, it could have gone better than it did.”

Mesh and concrete barriers remain in place, while crews assess the damage.

“We’re trying to ascertain the viability of the grass,” said Walsh. “We think the trees are fine.”

The main concern is contamination.

“Lots of different contamination from a flood but know that there was some sewage releases into the river so we’re concerned about that,” Kruse said.

They are also concerned about Summerfest, an event already postponed due to rain. Kruse says it’s all hands-on deck to be ready in a couple of weeks.

“They’re doing everything they can to make sure that the park is clean and ready for summer fest,” said Kruse. “If we’re not able to use the great lawn, the show will go on, it will just look a little differently.”

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