Devastating floods affect Cherokee

Recent heavy rainfall led to the rise of the Little Sioux, which runs east and south through Cherokee, with Mill Creek running north of town. Flooding began being reported on June 21 and caused road closures, evacuations and damage to homes and businesses. The river crested at an estimated 33.47 feet, surpassing the previous record of 27.9 feet set in 2013, according to Emergency Manager Justin Pritts.

Several homes and businesses were affected by floodwaters. Presently the city of Cherokee is only accessible from the north and west, according to Pritts and Sheriff Derek Scott.

For some, Scott said, those needing inside the city need a “boat or helicopter.” The Little Sioux has subsumed the Highway 3 bypass and Highway 59 south of Main Street. 

Many roads across the county are impassable.

Danielle Restuchi and her family live on East Elm Street in Cherokee. They voluntarily evacuated on Saturday but have been back several times to check on their property. 

“We are seeing several people looking around and neighbors checking on their houses,” Restucci told the Chronicle Times on Monday. “Our neighbors across the street are underwater. We have watched freezers, many big items flowing by.” 

Their basement, like many others, is filled with water. Their water heater and furnace are likely destroyed. Many others are facing the same fate. They’re hoping the Federal Emergency Management Agency will help because they don’t have flood insurance. Cherokee has sporadically flooded since the 1990s; flood insurance across Iowa communities has skyrocketed into the thousands, making it unaffordable. 

Cherokee residents have done what they can to manage. 

Some are kayaking through town. Those living on the south side of Cherokee need to detour northeast or southwest to get back into town. What was a regular commute turned into drives as long as six hours. 

The damage left behind from the flooding is for some, wholly unexpected as they have never seen water rise that high before.

On Sunday afternoon, Cherokee County Emergency Management reported that the gauge from the National Weather Service in the river was no longer reporting. A NWS river gauge is a device that continuously measures the water level of a river at a specific location.  The NWS operates a network of these gauges across the United States to monitor river conditions and provide critical information for flood forecasting and warnings.

New models had indicated an estimated crest between 35 and 37 feet for Cherokee by Sunday night. People were told to remove items from homes that would be in the immediate flood zone, noting that sandbagging would not endure the floodwaters. Assessing the total financial impact from this disaster will take time as it will include both public and private costs such as damage to homes, businesses, personal belongings, but also roads, bridges, equipment and public buildings. 

Pritts told the Chronicle Times that the Little Sioux had crested in Cherokee around 5 a.m. on Monday morning. The waters have already begun receding, however it may take several days or even weeks for Mill Creek to clear out and for all of the roads to reopen. 

Pritts said that the City of Cherokee has their water wells “up and pumping” and wanted citizens to be assured that and that there was no threat to the water system at this time. However, he and Cherokee city officials are urging citizens to be aware that the sewer system is fragile and should be used conservatively.

“One of the craziest things we have going on right now are the gawkers,” explained Pritts. People have been seen driving around, kayaking in the floodwaters, and even boating down the flooded river itself. These individuals often don’t realize the hazards they may encounter or how they can get in the way of emergency responders. Pritts, along with law enforcement and other area agencies, have repeatedly asked via social media for people to stay back from the floodwaters. Many have ignored them. 

At least one rescue was needed, just north of Cherokee County on Mill Creek when an individual attempted to drive through water and was swept into a field. The Cherokee Fire Department and other responders were needed to conduct a rescue and the individual was successfully rescued. 

For the latest information, you can visit the Cherokee County Emergency Management website or social media page or join the new Facebook group, Cherokee Flood Relief. 

An additional resource is the National Weather Service website, which provides data from the river gauges. However, since the gauge at Cherokee is believed to have failed or floated away, limited information is available because there is no real-time data on the water level.