Our weather situation in Iowa (Not bad in our area)

[CharlesW]

Since I have received several PMs and e-mails asking about the weather in our area, I thought I would shed a little light on things.

Tornados
Tornadoes are are just a part of the weather pattern in the Mid-West United States.
We have probably had 20 warnings so far this summer and 2 or 3 tornadoes that were very damaging.
So far, they have not been in our immediate area.
We had one in 1974, never want another one.

Flooding
The flooding is really bad in some areas, but we are not in a flood plain and our only problem is ground water or sewer back up. We had a storm sewer back up and put 3 to 6 inches of water in our basement, but at least it was just rainwater run off and not from the sanitary sewer. The first estimate of damage to our home is in the neighborhood of $10,000.
We filled two dumpsters 6` x 6` x 5` with stuff that was totally trashed. We have lived in this area since 1959 and in this house since 1972 and this is the first time we have had a water problem in a basement.

Here`s a link to a local TV News site with a lot of information.
Des Moines News, Iowa News, Weather, and Sports, Channel 8 News - KCCI Des Moines` Channel 8 (http://www.kcci.com/index.html)

Des Moines is bad, Cedar Rapids is worse and Iowa City may be worse yet.

It was very difficult to get around in Des Moines because of all the flooded streets, but the main part of the city is not flooded.
In Cedar Rapids, most of the city is flooded.
All in all, we are doing fine.

Thanks to all that have inquired about the situation.
I even had an offer of one member to travel about a thousand miles one way if we thought we could use his help. :)

[Reddwarf]

Thanks for posting. I keep thinking about you and Randall when I hear all the bad news about the flooding.

[Beemerboy]

I`m glad that you guys are OK Charles....and for those that are suffering threw this I feel for them, especially the farmers who have lost there ability to plant this year

[The Chee]

Mississippi Floodwaters in Iowa - The Big Picture - Boston.com (http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/06/mississippi_floodwaters_in_iow.html)

Some areas really being hit bad :(

[RTexasF]

Glad you are well........and insured.

[CharlesW]

Glad you are well........and insured.
Being well is a good thing.
As far as the insurance goes, what we had will only cover $5,000 of the damage. Certainly better than nothing, but still a little short.

FWIW, checking your policy might be worth the effort.
We had a rider for the drain back-up or we would have had no water damage coverage, Most poicies do not cover flood or water damage unless you have it specified.

[CharlesW]

I`m glad that you guys are OK Charles....and for those that are suffering threw this I feel for them, especially the farmers who have lost there ability to plant this yearIt will be tough on the farmers, but a lot of people that have lost their homes and everything in them will not be covered by their insurance. Flood insurance is a strange type of coverage and most policies won`t cover the loss. Many of the people will be totally wiped out financially.

[Mr. Clean]

Glad ya`ll are safe. Sorry for your financial hit. $5K though not a small amount isn`t overwhelming either. I just spoke with a neighbor who just had $10k+ worth of foundation work. Of course that isn`t covered by insurance. It is just the price of home ownership.

You are correct about flood insurance being optional. Not residing in a flood plain makes it pretty hard to pay the annual premium for a coverage that may never be used. A real tough pill to swallow for those who lost their homes and don`t have insurance. Though the owners of the homes that were riverside might have taken out the additional coverage. Being alongside a river, that would seem prudent.