(UPDATED) AMES, Iowa – July 3, 2018 – Changes in the flood forecast may cause the Iowa Department of Transportation to close U.S. 30 between Boone County Road R-18 and Iowa 17 near Boone earlier than previously announced. New water level readings suggest the roadway will likely be closed as early as noon on July 4. The road is expected to remain closed due to flooding until approximately 5 p.m. July 13, according to the Iowa DOT’s District 1 Office.

During this closure, traffic will be detoured using Boone County Roads R-18, E-57 and Iowa 17.

If you are driving and come upon rapidly rising waters, turn around and find another route. If your route is blocked by barricades, find another route. Barricades are put up by state or local officials to protect travelers from unsafe roads. Driving around them can be a serious risk. The road may be washed out below the water surface. Your vehicle may stall or get stuck in the water, and then get pushed off the road. Once off the road, vehicles often start to roll, making escape difficult or impossible. Many flood-related deaths in the United States are the result of an attempt to move a stalled vehicle.

The latest traveler information is available anytime through our 511 system. Visit 511ia.org; call 511 (within Iowa) or 800-288-1047 (nationwide)

Thousands of vehicles were damaged in flash flooding this past weekend in the Des Moines area. Chris Good is a mechanic at Iowa Auto Repair in Urbandale. “My phone has not stopped ringing,” Good says. Many vehicle owners are calling to find out if it’s safe to try and start their car or if they should have it towed to a repair shop for inspection. “If you got a couple inches of water on your carpet, that’s one thing, but if the car was underwater where the engine was underwater, then have it towed,” Good says.

Some flood-damaged cars CAN be salvaged, but Good notes computers inside the vehicle are not sealed against the weather. “Modern cars have 20 to 50 different computers,” Good says. “The electronics obviously do not like to get wet, they’re going to have corrosion in the wires and connectors.” Good expects most of the cars that took on water in the weekend flooding will be considered a total loss. He’s warning used car shoppers to do their homework. “In the future, people who are looking to buy a used car really need to get it checked out ahead of time. These are going to start hitting the market,” Good says.

Some vehicles may be repaired only cosmetically and placed for sale without any indication of the flood damage. Good says there are several sites online for buyers to check, for free, if a vehicle has been affected by flooding. One such tool is offered by the National Insurance Crime Bureau: https://www.nicb.org.

(Radio Iowa)

Police in Council Bluffs arrested a man in connection with a robbery that took place early this morning. 38-year old Bryan Coulter was arrested after the victim of the crime positively identified him. Coulter was charged with 1st degree Robbery, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Carrying Weapons, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and on an outstanding warrant. His arrest followed a call at around 2:50-a.m. today (Tuesday) to the Walgreens store at 535 East Broadway.

Upon their arrival, officers made contact with a man who said he was in his vehicle at 400 Franklin Ave, when Bryan Coulter came up to his window and asked for his money and phone. The victim told Coulter “no,” and that was when Coulter allegedly pointed a handgun at him, but was unable to operate the weapon. He then left the area, but officers were able to locate the vehicle that Coulter was in, and detained him long enough for the victim to make a positive ID. Coulter was booked in at the Pottawattamie County Jail.

Police in Red Oak, Monday evening, arrested a man wanted on a Montgomery County felony warrant for Probation Violation. 33-year old Jeremy Ray Dilocker, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 6:20-p.m. and brought to the Montgomery County Jail, where his bond was set at $5,000.

Officials say it will take some time to gather the data necessary to seek federal assistance for parts of Iowa hit by spring and early summer storms. Governor Kim Reynolds says the plan is to combine assessments of storm damage that happened from June 6th through the 13th with the flood damage that happened from June 14th through June 30th.

“If we can tie the two together, that will increase our abilities to get a federal disaster proclamation issued that will help with some funding and additional resources,” Reynolds says.

On Monday afternoon Reynolds toured parts of central Iowa that were damaged after flash flooding this past weekend. Reynolds posted a photo and note on Twitter, saying it was “absolutely heartbreaking” to witness a Des Moines woman’s return to her flooded out home. The governor says water damage “over the last couple of weeks” has hit other parts of Iowa, too.

“Tremendous collaboration, coordination — Iowans doing what Iowans always do and that’s step up and really help in times of disaster,” Reynolds says, “and it is definitely obvious.”

Yesterday (Monday) afternoon, hundreds of flood victims lined up at a center in Des Moines designed as a “one stop shop” for assistance. It will reopen today (Tuesday). It’s the distribution site for Red Cross flood clean-up kits. Legal Aid will be there to provide help to renters and homeowners filing flood insurance claims.

Polk County officials are offering vaccinations for people who’ve been in filthy flood water. MidAmerican representatives will be there to schedule restoration of electric and gas service to flooded properties.

(Radio Iowa)