DES MOINES –  As much as we love fireworks, drifting smoke can cause breathing problems for some. Brain Hutchins, Iowa Department of Natural Resources Air Quality Supervisor, says whether you are attending a display or celebrating in your backyard, sensitive populations are advised to take precautions. “First, if your family or friends suffer from asthma, respiratory difficulties, or heart disease; it’s important for them to stay upwind, a safe distance from fireworks smoke,” Hutchins says. “The elderly and children are also vulnerable to high levels of smoke.”

Sensitive people are most likely to have trouble breathing when air is stagnant. With no breeze, fine particles can be trapped near the ground and build to unhealthy levels. Smoke contains fine particles and gases, which can be hard on the lungs. Fine particles in fireworks’ smoke come from black powder used to shoot fireworks skyward along with metals that produce brilliant colors.

In 2020, Davenport, Des Moines and Muscatine recorded fine particle levels exceeding national standards on the Fourth. Des Moines exceeded the standard again the following day. Fine particle levels stayed below national standards on days surrounding the Fourth of July in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Learn more about fine particles (PM2.5)  and how fireworks displays can affect sensitive populations.

Those unable to avoid areas of dense smoke should limit outdoor activity and contact their health care provider if experiencing difficulty breathing.

(COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa) – Flood warnings for counties located the Missouri River in Iowa and Nebraska have been extended now, until Wednesday. Minor to moderate flooding is expected to continue. Originally, the Missouri River was expected to have crested late Saturday in the Omaha area. The National Weather Service Sunday, said while all sites are expected to crest by early next week, repeated rounds of rain could lead to river levels remaining elevated for longer than currently forecast.

Emergency management officials say around half a dozen homes in the immediate Honey Creek area have been flooded, and so have around a dozen properties in the Goosehaven area—although most of those are not permanent homes.

At this time, EMA Director Doug Reed said there’s no indication when residents will be able to get back to their homes because the forecast keeps changing for when the river crests. After that, they’ll have to wait for the water to drain out, and then assess the damage to roads.

(Eagle Grove, Iowa) – A single-vehicle accident Saturday night in northern Iowa’s Wright County resulted in two people being transported to the hospital  with serious injuries. According to the Iowa State Patrol, a 2014 Toyota Camry driven by 19-year-old Yefri Anthony Lopez, of Clarion, was traveling north on Wright County Road R-33 at around 8:35-p.m., when the car veered off the road and into the east ditch.

The vehicle rolled over and came to rest on the driver’s side. Lopez was ejected during the rollover. He was not wearing a seat belt. His passenger, 25-year-old Joel Cifuentes, of Clarion, was trapped in the passenger seat of the vehicle. Both men were transported to separate hospitals for treatment.