River crests lower than expected
Top and middle: A volunteer force of more than 500 people filled sandbags last week to protect lower South Main Street from floodwaters. A 27-foot crest was predicted for the Turkey River. The river actually crested at 22.5 feet.
By Pam Reinig
Register Editor
Elkader residents breathed a collective sigh of relief last Friday morning after receiving word that the Turkey River had crested at a much lower level than predicted. The high mark of 22.57 feet—six feet over flood stage—was observed at 10:45 a.m. Earlier predictions put the crest at 27.7 feet, which would have matched the Great Flood of 2008 that devastated much of the southern end of the town.
Friday afternoon was spent developing a plan to remove the sandbags that had been placed along the river wall and across South Main Street as a precaution against high water levels. According to Elkader Fire Chief Scott Marmann, more than 230 tons of sand was used; nobody knows for certain how many sandbags were filled, tied and stacked by an army of 500-plus volunteers working feverishly over a 36-hour period. The group included Central High School athletes, students, faculty and staff; city employees, volunteer firefighters, business owners, moms, dads, grandparents and others
In addition to bagging along the river, volunteers created a massive wall that stretched from the corner of the Central Plumbing and Heating building to the farthest edge of Wilkes’ parking lot. Chief Marmann estimated its size at 7-feet high and 100-feet long. If the river had rushed into South Main Street, the wall would’ve helped to minimize damage to businesses on that end of the town.
The flood scare began last Wednesday night when levels on the Turkey River started inching slowly upwards. Chief Marmann and local law enforcement officials made the decision to sandbag around 5 p.m. Within minutes, lower Main Street was, in fact, flooded—not with river water but with volunteers.
Work continued until about 10 p.m. Wednesday evening. Weary volunteers staggered home confident that the lower part of town was safe. At that time, flood models put the crest at 25 feet, far below the 27.7 level of the 2008 flood.
Things changed overnight, however, and before Thursday noon the crest was placed at 27 feet, a level that threatened South Main Street businesses, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and possibly people living behind the church on Second Street SW.
Again, a call went out for volunteers. Central School dismissed students at 12:30, urging them to go straight to the downtown area to assist with efforts there. They did—and so did several teachers, high school principal Dan Yanda, superintendent Nick Trenkamp and lots of other Central staff members. Some worked filling sandbags while others helped move fresh produce, dairy product, meat, and frozen foods out of Wilkes grocery store.
Other businesses along South Main Street—from Mulberry to Boardman—took similar action. Shops were mostly empty by the time power was cut Thursday evening around 6 p.m.
With the downtown area secured, there was nothing left to do but wait—wait for a massive flood that, fortunately, never came.
Though the Turkey River crested far below earlier predictions, it still climbed high enough to flood the Little League fields, Pony Hollow Trail, Turkey River Park and other places. Several roads were closed, and the basements of a few businesses, including the Clayton County Register, took in varying levels of water. The wall built to protect lower Main Street wasn’t needed but Fire Chief Scott Marmann has no regrets about having it built. “At times like this, you’re safest bet is to prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” he said.
Marmann, other members of the Elkader Fire Department and city workers spent the rest of the weekend cleaning up. By Monday morning, it was nearly business as usual for Elkader and its residents.
