100-year flood

More than 81⁄2 inches of rain have fallen on Newton and Jasper County since Sunday night, leaving the area and much of central Iowa deluged under a sea of floodwater that local officials are calling a 100-year storm event.

As storms pummeled the region for the third straight night Tuesday, and water from the South Skunk River rose into Colfax, forcing some residents to evacuate their homes.

Randy Woods, who lives on top of a hill in Colfax, said his sister-in-law had to evacuate her home overnight when local law enforcement came to her door.

“The police knocked on her door at around 2 in the morning and told her to start moving,” he said, adding that she’ll probably stay with him or her mother-in-law.

The ball fields in Colfax are completely covered, with only the shelter and the crossbars of soccer goal posts visible above the water line.

“All you can see is the top, so you’re looking at about 10 feet of water,” Woods said.

Dave Mast, the mayor of Colfax, released the following statement: “Because the Skunk River has risen to record levels, Colfax has been declared a local emergency area.

“At 6 a.m. Wednesday, the Skunk River was at 22 feet — five feet above flood level and 1⁄2 foot higher than the record in 1993.

“There is limited access in and out of town. Parts of the business district are being sand bagged. Voluntary evacuation is under way for many of the residences. Homeowners are being asked to cooperate if notified to evacuate.”

Mast’s statement also said a Red Cross shelter has been set up at Colfax-Mingo High School to assist residents. For more information, residents are advised to contact Colfax City Hall at (515) 674-4096.

Jill Christy of Newton saw the flooding while driving along Interstate 80 and decided to stop in Colfax with her husband to try and help friends who live there.

“I see all the water and I was like, ‘We got to get out there,’” Christy said.

“We’ve come to see if they need any help getting any stuff out of their house.”

In Newton, the flooding wasn’t quite as severe. Public Works Director Keith Laube said that Newton residents were mostly dealing with flooding in their basement, some sewer back-ups and the possibility of having I-80 shut down between Newton and Des Moines.

Newton Waterworks officials had water in their driveway this morning, but indicated the plant is still operational and Newton’s water is safe for the time being.

For Colfax residents, however, the immediate concerns stemming from the flood are far more severe. Woods said MidAmerican Energy is shutting power off to sections of the town and Highway 6 from Colfax to Mitchellville is under water.

“From what I can see so far, it’s worse than ‘93,” he said.