I drive a truck on a dedicated route over US 34 in Iowa and IL, well about a month ago the levee's in Gulfport area where breached and flooded the town and the hwy with over 10ft of water over the roadway (I was actually coming back and was only about 10 miles from the area when DOT stopped me and turned me around, turns out I had taken a short nap earlier in the day or I would have been ON that section when it flooded out like one guy that had to be rescued off the roof of his car by helicopter)
Anyway for the past month I have had to detour up through quad cities (ok my inconvenience pails in comparison to the problems of the people in this town) Well Friday they reopened the hwy so I am able to cross again, but part of the hwy is still under water so they put up concrete barricades and then filled with gravel to raise the level of the road, and added lights to control traffic.
Anyway I took some pics of the hwy, the temporary roadway, the Gulfport gas station the town of Gulfport (including some of the strip clubs) and the pumps they are using to try and drain all the area behind the levees.

here is the pics

 

Thank God I was in Europe at that time.

 

Amazing there is still so much standing water. Did you rescue any strippers?

 

you wouldn't want any of those strippers

I've got a freind who lives in that area.. She put it best about what happened to Gulfport "gods answer to the filth"

 

A friend I work with knows the guy that owned(not sure if he still does) the clubs in gulf port. He tried to open a strip club outside of our town with some of the "ladies" from gulf port. I ummmm heard from friends that the women weren't worth the price you paid to get in the door. He finally closed the place down because the county kept making it harder and harder to keep it open. As far as the roads around around here go,they are all open and people are rebuilding or moving out and not coming back.

 

Great pics.

 

well we dont have to worry about a massive nationwide rate increase by fema on flood insurance

about 17% of people that were affected by floods had flood insurance

 

Wow, I'm suprised that they are still under that much water. It looks like it's gonna be a while before things are back to normal. Good luck to everyone affected.

 

Wow, I didn't realize that the water was still there.

 

just came through this morning again (like I do ever morning) and I can say at best the water hasn't risen any it really looks like it's about the same as it was on Tues when I took those pics.
Just reading a news story about it they currently have 35 sump pumps brought in to drain the area as well as cutting a hole in the levee (although the river is rising again so that may have to be closed) and the Carthage lake drainage district pump that pumps 100.000 gallons a MINUTE and it's only dropping by inches at best and if it rains they actually LOSE ground. Just totally unbelievable.
here is a link to the story, not the way they are having to refuel the pump at Carthage lake, now thats just wrong floating a barge across farm ground (story doesn't actually say that but I know the area and it has to go across some farm ground to get to the pump)
The Hawk Eye

Oh and it's raining again today, I live 130 miles west of there and I have already gotten over an inch since midnight (when I left for work) and about 50 miles west of me they have gotten almost 6 inches and unfortunately this storm is moving East. Man they don't need that over there.

 

yeah,i am in quincy,been raining here hard since about 3 this morning,not sure how much we got but i am sure i don't need to see any more rain until october maybe at the earliest

 

Would that be the green parrot?

 

the one and only

 

I could describe it as a machine shed in a trailer park with a plywood wall splitting the "byob" bar and the "stage"...

went there a few times with freinds mostly to check out "the legend of the green parrot"

A buddy decribed one of the girls chests at rough as 60 grit sandpaper rubbing on his face....

 

Wow. Good photos Rob!