Hate to say this but there is more bad weather coming. (4 killed in Little Sioux Scout Camp)

[progressoid]

We(Council Bluffs) are in the midst of rain (3-5 inches expected - possible 2" hail) and tornado sirens. And it's coming your way

:(

A tornado hit a boy scout camp in Little Sioux. At least 4 fatalities and 40 people injured as of 8:30 tonight.

[progressoid]

1. Update on the Scout camp...

4 dead, as many as 40 injured at Boy Scout camp
BY JASON KUIPER
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER


The storms that struck Omaha Sunday caused damage only to homes, trees and property. Wednesday night’s storms that sprung up from Lincoln to western Iowa took lives.

One tornado, according to Harrison County dispatchers has four fatalities and up to 30 to 40 injured.

Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City will be getting two young juvenile males by medical helicopter right around 8 p.m. from the tornado that touched down at the Little Sioux Scout Ranch.

There were numerous reports of damage and tornadoes touching down in Lincoln but nothing confirmed yet as of 7:45 p.m. said Kerry Eagan, chief administrative officer for Lancaster County.

....

In Omaha there reports of rotating clouds near 70th and Cass Streets and flooding on city roads. Dispatchers said there flooding was starting in city streets about 8:30 p.m.

Sarpy County dispatchers said there was a report of a tornado touching down at Offutt Air Force Base but that had not yet been confirmed. Spotters were heading to the area.


http://omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10355890

[CoffeeCat]

2. I just read that story...

...and it's just the worst news that anyone could read.

I'm in Des Moines (Ankeny), I just put mattresses in the closet under the stairs, in
the basement. Looks like I'll be up all night, watching the radar and listening to the
weather.

Saylorville is supposed to crest Saturday--one foot below the historic 1993 flood--which
was supposed to be a "500 year flood." Tonight's heavy rain was not factored into that.

So obviously, this is going to be worse than a "500 year flood."

This is nuts.

The Des Moines public works and city officials are so prepared and so organized. I'm
so proud of them. I don't mean to be a pessimist, but you really have to wonder how much
you can "prepare" for a major flood that no one has ever experienced before?

We're supposed to get 2" of rain tonight, and that could increase. Most of the Des Moines
river basin is predicted to get 3"-5" of rain. That's....unimaginable...given what we've
got in our rivers right now, and on the ground.

I hope Iowans, keep in touch throughout the evening and in the coming days.

Stay high and dry.

[Hardrada]

3. I'm here near the Mississippi. I'll keep in touch with whomever

wants to know the situation around Jackson and Clinton Counties.

[progressoid]

4. Hang in there.

I just read an official said if you make it through the next 18 hours, you'll be past the worst.

Here's hoping he's right. :cheers:

[CoffeeCat]

5. That's interesting...

...because our local weather report (on WHO Channel 13) just said that parts of
Iowa--including the Des Moines area--are supposed to get 6 inches of rain tonight.

6 inches!!! I'm not sure if the meant that would fall everywhere, or just in
select places.

A long line of storms is moving through Central Iowa now. I see the lightning
starting.

The weather guy said this is the front of a long line of storms. It's nuts.

If you click on Iowa, and then click on Des Moines, you can see the long line of
storms, and how they're "training" up to the northeast--which will keep this slow-
moving system over the central part of our state for quite a while.

www.accuweather.com

[progressoid]

6. Yeah, I don't know if he factored this latest storm into the equation.

We were getting between 2-4 inches an hour.

[CoffeeCat]

7. Wow, progressoid...

How much rain did you end up getting?

Are you guys having problems with flooding as well?

2-4 inches of rain an hour...that's Ark-building weather!

I wonder when this weather pattern will end. It's been a repeat of hot, muggy weather--then
storms moving through. We seem to be stuck in this.

Whatever is causing it, I hope it ends soon.

Are you still getting storms moving through progressoid?

I hope you are staying safe and doing ok!

[progressoid]

8. I'm OK, but there are lots of flood, flash flood, and tornado warnings in the area.

We spent a few hours in the basement. The rain lasted most of that time. Don't know how much fell yet.

Basically all of IA in in trouble, but I think central and eastern IA are in more dire straits than us because of your already flooding rivers.

Looks like it's just getting to you now. Hang in there. :grouphug:








ETA: From the Omaha World Herald.

Rain-swollen rivers rush banks: Iowans try to hold line against flooding
BY JOHN FERAK
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER


...

"Right now, it's not really bad in Hamburg, but the potential of it getting real bad is there," said Paul Johnston, spokesman for the Corps of Engineers in Omaha.

The Nishnabotna River reached 27.3 feet near Hamburg on Wednesday, down slightly from Tuesday's mark of 28.1 feet. Flood stage is 23 feet.

Corps officials traveled to Brownville to monitor levees and a rising Missouri River, which had reached 39.4 feet near Brownville, more than 7 feet above flood stage.

At Rulo, the Missouri reached 24 feet, more than 7 feet above flood levels. At Plattsmouth, it had reached 27.4 feet, slightly above its flood level of 25 feet.

...

In western Iowa's Fremont County, some paved roads and numerous gravel roads remained closed because of flooding, said Craig Marshall, the county's acting emergency management coordinator.

Fremont County shut down a four-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 275 from the Missouri state line at county road J64, near Hamburg, as well as closing county roads J46 west of Riverton and L68 north of Riverton.

One eastbound lane of U.S. Highway 2 in Fremont County was closed while crews pumped water back into the Missouri River near Nebraska City, Marshall said.

Crawford County officials closed U.S. Highway 30 between Denison and Dunlap, Iowa, because the Boyer River had spilled over the highway.

The Corps of Engineers delivered water pumps and thousands of sandbags to Hamburg, Clarinda, Essex, Red Oak and Logan in Iowa, and to Grand Island and Merrick County in Nebraska.

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10356006

[Debi]

9. That is awful news!

x(

What a crazy mixed up summer here in Iowa!

Here at the Debi house we couldn't sleep last night w/the wind/tornado warnings/downpour. Haven't seen the water around us go much farther up. We will try to go out and see today some time. Not like we can go to work/the bank/the post office. Nothing more to do than check on our neighbors and wait.

Feel so helpless/worthless.

[progressoid]

10. Sad update:

• Update at 8:44 a.m.: The names of the four boys who were killed were announced this morning: Aaron Eilerts, 14, of Eagle Grove, Iowa; Josh Fennen, 13, of Omaha; Sam Thomsen, 13, of Omaha and Ben Petrzilka, 14, of Omaha The latest number of injured is 48. Officials said there were 94 scouts and 25 adult and youth scout leaders at the camp when the storm hit.




Eyewitness accounts from the scout camp: http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10356198

... Alex Robertson, 15, of Center, Neb., was among the 50 or so people who ran to the north cabin to escape the storm. He said he was on the floor inside the door as the tornado hit.

"It ripped off the door, and it ripped open the roof," Alex said.

The wind dragged him to the wall of the cabin, he said, as he clung to what little of the structure remained. A stone chimney was the next thing to come apart in the cabin, he said.

"I saw the chimney come down right next to me. It fell on people, unfortunately. It was very traumatic," Alex said.

In the aftermath of the tornado, the Scouts in the north cabin scrambled to help those who were hurt and dig people out from under debris. Alex said there were boys with broken collarbones, cracked ribs and other serious injuries. The Scouts used their first-aid knowledge to do what they could, he said, as they waited for help to arrive. Alex distributed blankets...

[Critters2]

11. Just heard on CNN that one of the boys killed was from Eagle Grove.

Wasn't one of my parishioners, but the minute I heard the name I realized I knew the family. So sad.

[Counciltucky]

12. Camped there once as a Scout.

I was a Cub Scout for a year. Seems weird that this all happened there. Culver's on TV right now -- live news conference with Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman and Homeland Security Sec. Chertoff -- and he's praising the Scouts for their quick actions after the storm. What happened was horrible, but it could have been a lot worse.