Branstad plans Missouri River flooding meeting
September 9th, 2011 by Ric Hanson
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad will bring an assortment of top state officials to Council Bluffs to learn more about this summer’s record Missouri River flooding and hear from those affected by it. Branstad’s flood meeting is scheduled for Friday afternoon. Representatives of farming groups, utilities and Iowa cities hit hard by the flooding are all scheduled to attend. Flooding has been a problem all along the Missouri River since June because heavy spring rains and significant mountain snowpack generated massive amounts of water. The floodwaters have started to recede, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers predicts the river won’t return to normal flows until sometime in October. Corps officials will also give a presentation at the meeting about the way they managed the river’s dams.