Site: 'All hands alert' for sandbaggers in Des Moines

[Jeremy]

An "all hands alert" has been issued to enlist volunteers to fill sandbags in Des Moines.

Tonight: Starting at 9 p.m. go to North High School, 501 Holcolmb Ave. Sandbags will be filled in the parking lot on the north side of the school in an effort to help support the levees downtown.

Thursday morning: Starting at 8 a.m. report to the United Way campus, 1111 Ninth St. There will be a volunteer reception center where badges and assignments will be issued.

UPDATE: The Red Cross is calling off tonight's emergency sandbagging due to the rapid development of severe weather incoming. Tomorrow morning at 8am is still a go.

[brianhos]

Jeez, why do this at 9pm? I would have taken the day off work and done it all day if they had asked for it this morning.

Wait, North Polk High is in Alleman, did you mean North High like just north of downtown?

[wartknight]

Where do the volunteers go if there is a tornado?

[AirWalke]

I feel like they should have started this much earlier. It seems like everyone but the city's administration knew something like this would happen.

[ajsp]

I am guessing North High. The levee is already eroding close to there.

[CyGuy33]

I checked all day on their website for volunteers and nothing. Then at 9:00pm they want help, unbelievable.

[goldmember]

Earlier today people were knocking down doors offering to help, and they said it wasn't needed. Now it's an emergency. So much for being proactive.

[Jeremy]

I agree with the above posters - they kept saying now worries, the levees will hold. Why weren't they planning for the absolute worst instead of just the middle of the road estimates on what would happen?

[scottie33]

Yeah, earlier today all the levees were in excellent shape and weren't expected to fail and now things aren't going so swell in/around des moines. I hope they get enough volunteers to get this blocked off as I don't want such a disturbance for in/around des moines for the NCAA Nationa Track and Field meet.

[Jeremy]

UPDATE: The Red Cross is calling off tonight's emergency sandbagging due to the rapid development of severe weather incoming. Tomorrow morning at 8am is still a go.

[HandSanitizer]

Man...it took 15 years for court ave to recover from last time. Its just starting to feel like we are getting a diverse cool downtown and this happens. Hope everything holds.

Agreed though. All I heard downtown today is that everything was not a problem. We have been hearing for 3 days that we would be getting more rain today.

[ISUFan22]

Originally Posted by Jeremy

I agree with the above posters - they kept saying now worries, the levees will hold. Why weren't they planning for the absolute worst instead of just the middle of the road estimates on what would happen?

It's a valid question. At some point you have to decide "we've done as much as we can", but it seems a fair amount of the efforts have been reactive.

Then again, in a crisis like this - many times that's the case and no one is really to blame.

I think there will be plenty of time to analyze how things were done after this thing is over. Which could be a ways down the road.

[CyGuy33]

Des Moines Register's Web Page still states they are sandbagging tonight, does anyone know for sure if they have called it off?

[Dormeezy]

Originally Posted by scottie33

Yeah, earlier today all the levees were in excellent shape and weren't expected to fail and now things aren't going so swell in/around des moines. I hope they get enough volunteers to get this blocked off as I don't want such a disturbance for in/around des moines for the NCAA Nationa Track and Field meet.

Does anyone know if the flooding will affect the track meet? I was thinking of driving over from Cedar Rapids to check out Lisa Koll run in the 10k and the other events tomorrow. Trying to decide if it is too messy or not.

[Jeremy]

They said the meet is to be unaffected but they've also put a little more rain in tomorrow's forecast so I have no idea.