July 12, 2008 - Apologies for leaving this little flood section in a state of flux! Between taking care of business and getting ready for the Portland Pen Show, it got a little neglected. We have oodles of flood photos that Frank took and will be adding them to this section in the near future. Clean up along our Mississippi riverfront will be going on for many months. Riverview Park, normally green has a sludgy brownish-black ugly and toxic coating left by the falling water. Work is in progress on the Museum and Art Center along the river. Teams have been brought in to assess the damage and assist with the clean up. The pens that were rescued from the Museum (see photos below) survived better than anyone expected. They dried out and cleaned up pretty well, last I knew, there was only one casualty, a black and pearl radite pen that didn't do well under water and sort of crumbled on being touched. Not to bad, considering they had been submerged in some downright nasty water.

June 20, 2008 - The good news is that the Mississippi finally crested in Fort Madison today and the river is slowly starting to go down. Since there is a little over ten extra feet of water here, estimates are it will take about a week to drain out of Riverview Park and other flooded areas back into the river. Regardless of how soon this happens, it won't be a pretty picture and lots of clean up will be involved. We didn't get down to the river until after dark tonight, so didn't take any photos, but should be able to get some photo updates for you on Saturday.

The flood situation in my hometown, Cedar Rapids, has improved, but it is going to be a very long recovery period. Much of the city was devastated by the city's worst flood on record. The Cedar Rapids Gazette had awesome coverage and photos of the flood and continues to update frequently each day: www.gazetteonline.com

If any of you have a few spare dollars, Cedar Rapids could really use your help right now. The Salvation Army is tending to many people's needs there and far more of the money they receive goes to direct flood relief instead of administrative costs. We have some updated information from our previous info about how to make online donations now:

The Salvation Army - Cedar Rapids, Iowa Flood Relief
Mail donations to: The Salvation Army, P.O. Box 8056, Cedar Rapids, IA, 52408. Note that the contribution is for Cedar Rapids flood relief.
Call to donate: 1-800-SAL-ARMY. Be sure to specify that the contributions are for Cedar Rapids flood relief. Donate online: www.tsacedarrapids.org and click on the "donate now" kettle icon on the left of home page. Be sure to note that the contributions are for Cedar Rapids flood relief.

June 19, 2008 - The river should have crested today, but it did not. However, it is not rising as rapidly, so that is a good sign.

The RR Tracks are just barely above water now, this is after they were
raised to keep the trains rolling through. We've had many, many trains
today, much closer than usual and all longer than usual.

The caboose is losing it's wheels!

A few days ago, we could still see the top of the flower pot these
flowers are in outside the Art Center and they were looking much cheerier.

The was Fort Madison's Flood Museum. It got wiped out
in 1993 and never was renovated again. It's in worse shape than ever now.

Hi! That's me waiting for photographer Frank to catch up.

Steve's house on Water Street

Steve lives down on Water Street with water getting darned close to his
door. Interesting person to chat with. He follows all of the NOAA and
Army Corps of Engineers river reports and and had his charts with him.
He was showing me the river levels in the past 24 hours.

A little amusing, but sort of sad at the same time

June 18, 2008 - The water is back up above the pre-levee break levels now and continuing to rise, current prediction is for the river to crest on Thursday evening. BNSF is continuing to keep the tracks above water and the trains are still running. The politicians are running wild throughout Iowa and we had a visit from Iowa Gov. Culver here in Fort Madison today.

One of the more interesting things that happened today was the "Pen Rescue" at our flooded Museum, be sure to check out the photos below! Dan Reppert (Past PCA President, Pen Collector & Fort Madison resident), Andy Andrews (local historian and volunteer flood coordinator) along with another person they coerced into the rescue (I'm trying to get name, but I think it's Andy's son-in-law)) took a boat to the museum to rescue a display case of Sheaffer pens that had been submerged for several days. They got the pens out along with some other artifacts they were able to retrieve, basically they filled the boat with as much as they could safely get out to dry land.

Andy (left) and Dan (in doorway) with the boat at the museum

Dan wore his Mark Twain river hat!

Three Men and a Boat!

Always good to keep your sense of humor and keep smiling in situations like this!

Searching for fish???

Hold it steady!

Note the water level, this area is normally a parking lot

Headed toward dry land

Note the railroad switch box and the generator next to it at back of
photo. The generator has been running for several days is wired
directly into the main overhead electric wires at this time

Pen Rescue Team makes it to dry land!
We'll be nominating Dan for a fashion statement award in the near future!

Andy reaches dry land clutching museum treasures. Andy alway
s has that cigar, but we have yet to ever see him light it!

Here come the pens!

The Pens! Just so you know, the pens did not fare well being under
river water for several days. They're drying out now. The hard rubber
ones look pretty rough. Dan told me one of the black and pearls
crumbled when he carefully picked it up. The current plan is to get
them dried out and then evaluate them to see if they can be restored.

Mission Accomplished and boat at the ready for the next rescue mission

Frank also took a few photos along the river on Wednesday evening, but mostly for our sake so we can compare river levels on stationary objects from day to day - things that you've seen below, so we won't bore you with those.

What he did do was climb out of one of our third floor windows onto the second floor porch roof and then to our neighbor's roof to take some photos. Does this make them mini-aerial photos? I was just glad I didn't have to pick him up out of our back courtyard!

View of entrance to Riverview Park from the rooftop

Sheaffer building 3 blocks away

It is Railroad Central at the 6th Street crossing between the trains and all the BNSF people and vehicles

The Old Fort in Riverview Park is surrounded

Tuesday, June 17, 2008 - This afternoon, the water levels went down briefly due to several major levee breaks upriver in Gladstone and Gulfport, IL. Poor Gulfport - the entire town is about 10 feet under water. We haven't crested yet in Fort Madison, depending on who you listen to, it could be later tonight or early Wednesday. At any rate, the water has started to rise again after the levee breaks.

Sometime today, the doors and some windows were opened at the Museum and the Art Center.
This will help reduce pressure inside the building.

The trains are still running, but not as frequently as usual and they are much longer than usual.
This BNSF was going v-e-r-y slow along the riverfront.

Residences along Water Street

Sidelines Sports Bar - when we first looked at buildings in Fort Madison,
this was up for sale and one that we considered. We wisely decided it was just too close to the river.

This photo and the next one give you an idea of how uphill Fort Madison is!
Taken for Avenue F and 8th Street, 3 blocks from the river

River view from mid block between Avenue F and G at 7th Street.

Monday, June 16, 2008 - All of the vital things in Fort Madison that must be protected from the river (like the water treatment plant) are sandbagged now along with any other buildings that need to be protected. The volunteer sandbagging people now have a small stockpile of sandbags which is a very good thing. The most fascinating thing going on along the river right now, at least to me, is watching the BNSF railroad crews raising the tracks in an effort to keep the trains moving. We have on average 50-70 freight trains through town daily carrying huge quantities of retail goods, automobiles, coal and assorted other things that keep everyone supplied with day to day things. These tracks are a major transportation route from Chicago to LA. They also carry Amtrak through town twice a day. Our other major transportation route is the Mississippi itself, now closed to barge traffic.

1th & H (Hwy 61) in Fort Madison, the river is just beyond the trees at back of photo.

Surplus sandbags waiting to be trucked to other Fort Madison locations

RR Crossing at 10th Street. 2 sets of tracks remain above water, 1 set is submerged

Fort Madison Art Center in the old CB&Q Depot

A few flowers peek from their flower pot at the Art Center

Maybe not really OPEN today at the Art Center!

Looking upriver toward the world's longest double decker swingspan bridge

The Old Fort is losing this battle

BNSF crews raising the tracks near the 6th Street crossing

Sunset at the entrance area to Riverview Park

Sunday, June 15, 2008 - The river continues to rise in Fort Madison and all along the Mississippi. Needless to say, we are watching closely. Frank and Kayla went down to help the community effort with sandbags again on Sunday afternoon. Seeing the huge turnout of volunteers band together to keep the river at bay only reinforces to me what a great community Fort Madison is. I wish the river wasn't flooding, but I'm still glad we live in Fort Madison! Frank took some more photos Sunday evening.

Art center (left) and museum. This is the area where sandbag operations
were originally set up, now under a couple feet of water.

Caboose in the Museum area

Old Fort Madison

Riverview park is almost entirely submerged now

Normally, you can't boat right up to the museum!

New Sandbag Center operations in Fort Madison.
Moved to higher ground after the previous gathering point flooded.

Updated photo of the Riverview Park entrance

Hwy 61, BNSF tracks & a very wide river

Capt. Kirk's at the Marina

Fort Madison Marina and Swingspan Bridge

While Frank was down along the river, he turned around and took
a shot of the Sheaffer building, now all of the signage has been removed.

We have plenty of tourist and river gawkers in town,
but our Tourist Center is not the place to go right now!

This is at the foot of 2nd St and Hwy 61. The highway is currently being detoured through
residential neighborhoods for about 6 blocks where the river has spilled onto the road.

A friend of Michelle's went up in his plane and took some fantastic aerial photos as far north as Cedar Rapids down to just south of Keokuk. We're 15 miles north of Keokuk for your reference. Here's a link to his website: http://www.curesolutions.com/flood2008/

June 15, 2008 - Frank's trip to Cedar Rapids came to a screeching halt about 15 miles south of town where the Coralville Reservoir is spilling over the interstate. 281 mile detour to CR! So, he came back and took a few photos of the Fort Madison riverfront for you. Business as usual here plus lots of tourists and river gazers in the shop.

Entrance to Riverview Park 10AM June 14

Riverview Park 10AM June 14

Volunteer HQ in the FM Gallery Art Depot parking lot. Currently sandbagging and emptying contents of the Art Depot to
higher ground 3PM June 14

Entrance to Riverview Park, photo taken from our
3rd floor window 3PM June 14

Old Fort Madison in Riverview Park, photo taken from our
3rd floor window 3PM June 14

Trucks hauling sandbags at RR crossing June 14, 2008

Delivering sandbags, there is a road beneath that water!

Taking the sandbags downriver, Union Pacific train traveling eastbound

June 14, 2008 - It is a beautiful SUNNY Saturday morning in Fort Madison and across the state of Iowa today, thank goodness! The Mississippi River is about four feet over flood stage here this morning and rose just over a foot in the last 24 hours. Riverview Park is quickly going underwater and all road access to the park is closed now. Volunteers have sandbagged the museums and other buildings right off the downtown area in the park. Current predictions are for the Mississippi to crest in Fort Madison on Wednesday below 1993 flood levels when the water covered the RR Tracks and came up to Hwy 61. (click that cam link below to see the park, RR, highway).

Our main concern right now is Cedar Rapids which unless you've been living in a cave, you've seen in the national news! I was born and raised in CR and continue to have close ties there and own a house there. We have friends and customers who are now homeless. The whole situation has just boggled our minds to put it mildly! Frank is headed to CR this morning with a truck full of food and water to drop off at one of the Salvation Army evacuation shelters and to assess our house.

If you have a few extra dollars, any amount at all, we hope you'll consider a donation to the Cedar Rapids, Iowa flood relief, they need all the help they can get right now! The Salvation Army in CR is providing shelter, food and trying to take care of immediate needs and they are a worthwhile charity that makes sure nearly all of your donation goes to people in need instead of administrative costs.

Checks earmarked for flood relief can be mailed to The Salvation Army at P.O. Box 8056, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406. Donations can also be made by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY and mentioning the donation is for the Cedar Rapids flood relief.

Thanks to all of your for your emails inquiring about us, it really means a lot. Our little "pen community" is the greatest! Please, please consider a donation to help the people in Cedar Rapids.

June 12, 2008 - Greetings from Fort Madison, Iowa on the banks of the raging Mississippi River! We're always thrilled to see the great state of Iowa get press time and thanks to Mother Nature we're getting plenty of it right now. Many of you have emailed with your concern and we sure do appreciate that.

The Pendemonium crew is high and dry in Fort Madison. As of today, the Mississippi River here in Fort Madison is experiencing some minor flooding, it will probably crest, breaking some records in the next few days. If we disappear for a little while, it's not because we're in harm's way, it's because we'll be helping fill sandbags to keep the river at bay from buildings in the flood zone. We'll get some photos for you soon.

If you want to see live pictures of the Fort Madison riverfront, you can access our Live Train Cam here: http://www.livetrains.com/plugins/cam/default.asp

Just to give you a point of reference - we can look out the front of our building and see the old black BNSF locomotive, it's a block away from us. Beyond that is Riverview Park and the Mississippi River. The trees you see in the distance are in Illinois. Immediately in front of the locomotive are 3 sets of RR tracks, and Hwy 61, the major road through town. To date, the Mississippi has never come beyond Hwy 61 in this area, so let's keep our fingers crossed it doesn't do it this time either!