Flood '08

Obviously the BIG news around our area is the Flooding. Our home is nowhere near water so in terms of flooding we are safe.

Thursday night we received several calls and emails -- thanks to everyone for checking in on us! Three of those calls came from my employer, Matt's employer and Alex's daycare -- no one was to report anywhere, so we had an unplanned 3-day weekend. Of course, we all wish it could have been on better terms.

We spent Thursday and part of Friday getting ready for more storms that were supposed to come through the area -- ok, I admit I was a bit "Type A" about this...making sure there were flashlights, batteries, non-fridge food for Alex if the power went out and of course water, water and more water. At the time we just didn't know what was to come, if the power would be shut off for preventative reasons due to the flooding or if the water situation was going to get worse. A few more storms did come through the area, but nothing horrible -- power was never lost, so we were grateful.

The biggest impact to us has been the water restriction. Until this morning Cedar Rapids was only functioning at 25% normal capacity. Everyone was asked to restrict their water use to as little as possible. Yep, that means no showers, no dishes, no laundry, no watering the plants, bottled water for the dog and as little flushing as possible. Oh so fun. As the news is suggesting, our kitchen is stocked with paper plates and bowls and plastic forks, knives and spoons...and yes, ALL that bottled water. Matt's parent's are in an unaffected area and have been gracious enough to offer their shower and washing machine as needed.

This morning the news was good that water capacity is at 50% normal. The instructions being broadcast now are to use water on even or odd days of the month depending on your street address...so yeah for us, it was an odd day and we could get a little more done! Still not supposed to run laundry, wash cars, water lawns, etc....but we can certainly deal with that.

Here are a few of the pictures that are floating (no pun intended) around. I'm very sad to say that my favorite scrapbooking store is underwater in Coralville. It's a double disappointment as the store was closing at the end of the month. The store is on the Coralville strip so there have been some good shots of the area, if I come across one I'll post it too.