A spokesman for Iowa’s governor calls the Missouri River flooding “an increasingly serious situation.” And the National Weather Service warns Interstate 29 would be flooded if a weakened levee in far southwest Iowa fails

Officials issued a mandatory evacuation order for about half of the town of Hamburg, Iowa, on Sunday — forcing about 600 residents to leave because of problems with a levee south of town. Derek Hill, head of the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management division, described the breach as a “boil” — a hole of less than an inch-and-a-half in diameter. It created a small geyser of water that began spraying onto the dry side of the levee. This geyser or boil was found about two miles south of the Iowa/Missouri border, but Hill says the water would flow back into Hamburg if the levee fails. “Because of the topography there — it’s fairly flat land; there’s not a lot of elevation change — and the hydrologists explained that’s more than likely the direction the water would flow,” Hill says. A Black Hawk helicopter was dispatched Sunday to the levee, which is about five miles southwest of Hamburg. One-thousand pound sandbags were dropped from the helicopter in hopes of plugging the hole. Hill briefed reporters by phone on Sunday afternoon.

“You use a helicopter rather than putting personnel on the level because of the danger of a…larger levee breach at that time,” Hill says. Hill has seen maps which indicate the Missouri may flood as far as two miles into Iowa at some locations.

“So the Missouri River, at a few points, is going to be extremely broad,” Hill said. Hill is urging Iowans to move all their belongings to higher ground if they’re within the predicted flood zone. The water will stay for weeks, in some cases months, and Hill says not only will mold begin to grow on the structure of a home, but even items which are above the water line in a home will begin to get moldy as well.

“This water is coming,” Hill said. “…The people that live within the inundation area need to be talking to their county officials as to how deep the water is going to be. Is there a way to mitigate against that water or do they need to be moving?” According to Hill, there are about 30-thousand Iowans who live in rural areas — outside of cities or towns — in the six Iowa counties that are in the flood zone.

“If they have vehicles or farm equipment that are out there, or anhydrous tanks, they need to be moving them to higher ground so they’re not floating down river,” Hill said. Propane tanks also need to be tethered down or moved out of the flood zone.

(O. Kay Henderson/Radio Iowa; 4:54-p.m.)

Members of the CAM Community School District’s Interim Board of Education will meet Monday evening at the CAM High School Media Center.

On the agenda for the 7-p.m. session, is discussion and/or action on: resignations; various Board policies; Contracts for high school Special Ed and custodians’ positions, along an Administrative Assistant contracts; a Preschool special education agreement; contract modifications for Shelli Miller and Jennifer Berns; 2011-2012 School Calendar revisions, and curriculum changes.

Emergency Management officials in Pottawattamie County report several sources are available to keep current on expected flood conditions and preparedness efforts. Citizens can stay up to date on flood information by dialing 211.

In addition, web pages have been established at www.pottcounty.com and www.councilbluffs-ia.gov. You can also find information from Pottawattamie County Emergency Management on Facebook. The web resources will provide up to date information on the situation, preparedness activities and links to other useful sites.

A local call center for residents of Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County and other affected communities will begin operations on Monday, June 6, 2011 from 8am until 5pm. The number of the call center will be 712-328-4672.

Iowa is using a Blackhawk helicopter to drop 1,000-pound sandbags on a levee leak that threatens to flood a community in the southwestern part of the state. Gen. Derek Hill of the Iowa Department of Homeland Security says sandbags were being dropped Sunday on a leak in a levee in Atchison County, Mo. He says it was too dangerous to use ground crews for the work.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reported Sunday morning there was a breach in a Missouri River levee that could flood Hamburg, Iowa. The city is about five miles north of the leak, and Hill says the land in that area is flat and the leaking water is expected to flow back into Hamburg.

The leak has forced the evacuation of 600 Hamburg residents.

DES MOINES – Rapidly warming weather and water temperatures have prompted concerns about microcystin, a product of blue-green algae.

Sun Valley Lake, a private lake and development in Taylor County, reported a small fish kill on Saturday in an area of the lake that appeared to have a blue-green algae bloom. The algae can deplete oxygen making fish vulnerable, particularly this time of year when fish are also stressed because of spawning activities.

Sun Valley Lake will be sampled by Iowa Department of Natural Resources for microsystin. Because the conditions are conducive to blue-green algae growth, people and pets should not be in contact with water that has a poor appearance.  The appearance can be a pea-green or blue-green color, but also a reddish-brown. It may appear with scum, foam or as a thick mat on the water surface. Blue-green algae can grow quickly and become very abundant in warm, shallow, undisturbed surface water that receives a lot of sunlight.

The main risk to humans from microcystin is skin irritations and rashes, but if the water is swallowed or airborne droplets are inhaled during swimming, bathing or showering, symptoms could be worse. Those would include headaches, nausea, abdominal pain, seizures, liver injury and respiratory problems.

Precautions that should be taken to prevent health-related problems due to harmful algal blooms include:

*          Don’t swim, water ski or boat in areas where the water is discolored or if there is foam, scum or mats of algae on the water.
*          If you come in contact with water that might have a harmful algal bloom, rinse off with fresh water as soon as possible.
*          Don’t let pets or livestock swim in or drink from areas where water is discolored, of if there is foam, scum or mats of algae on the water.
*          Don’t let pets (especially dogs) lick the algae off their fur after swimming in scummy water.
*          Don’t irrigate lawns or golf courses with pond water that looks scummy or has a bad odor.
*          Don’t drink the water. Boiling the water will not make it safe to drink.

AMES, Iowa – June 5, 2011; 3:15 p.m. – The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) is reporting that all portions of Interstate 29 in Iowa remain open at this time.

The minor levee boil south of Hamburg in Missouris Atchison County has NOT impacted I-29 in Iowa. The Iowa DOT is monitoring the situation in Hamburg, but there is no imminent danger to I-29 at this time.

If it becomes necessary to close the interstate or other state roadways due to flooding, the Iowa DOT will provide the public with as much advance notice as possible. If a road is closed due to flash flooding, a notice will be issued as quickly as possible.

For the latest road condition information 24 hours a day, visit http://www.511ia.org/ or call 511 (within Iowa) or 800-288-1047 (outside Iowa).