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Wessel, Crew review what worked during Flood of 2008 for RAP audience
By Steve Dunn/Gate City Managing Editor
The incident management system established after 9/11 worked like it was supposed to work during the Flood of 2008, Keokuk Fire Chief Mark Wessel and Police Chief Tom Crew told a Recognition, Appreciation and Participation breakfast audience Thursday.
The effort by volunteers of all ages, the Keokuk Municipal Water Works, Roquette America, Inc. and the National Guard among others also greatly contributed to Keokuk's success story, Wessel and Crew said. While the riverfront received some damage, the water plant, wastewater treatment plant and Roquette's plant along the riverfront did not sustain damage.
Coincidentally, neither Mayor David Gudgel nor Mayor Pro Tem Susan Dunek were in town when it became apparent the city would be dealing with a major flood.
“We were able to act without them because we have experience with tragedies,” Wessel said. “We brought them up to speed when they returned to the community.”
The city's incident management team headed by Wessel entered a crisis mode on June 13 when it met with water works personnel and the board.
“The following week we received word our crest would be 14 inches over the 1993 level,” Wessel recalled. “We brought in Joe Riter (from the city's public works department). We found out we were four inches short (of the expected crest) on the concrete (flood) wall so we transitioned to a very critical mode.”
Fortunately, the crest never reached its expected height, falling short of the record 1993 level. In Keokuk, the Mississippi River crested at 26.94 feet Tuesday, June 17.
“For a smaller community with limited resources, we worked very efficiently,” the fire chief said. “Without the volunteers and contractors, we couldn't have done it at all.”
Crew called the community's response “team work at its best.”
“It's rare that fire and police don't fight, but we were a unified effort. We got whatever we asked for,” Crew added.
The police chief said the number of children who sandbagged helped save the city.
Crew also praised Riter for having the foresight to survey the levee along the riverfront.
“We didn't have a plan before on what to do in case of a levee breech,” Crew said, adding the situation along the levee was touch and go at times.
“We'll come out of this with a play book,” he added. “Now we have a plan in case the (Keokuk-Hamilton) bridge shuts down (on the Illinois approach side).”
Although it looked like Tri-State Area citizens wouldn't be allowed to cross the dam as they did during the 1993 flood, a plan was adopted this time in relatively short time during a meeting attended by 21 people, according to Crew. It took only two hours to develop the plan, which will be used as a model in other parts of the country, he said.
Crew noted alarms were set up at the Roquette plant along the river in case of a levee breech.
“The threat of a levee breech was high due to a large boil and the high crest that stayed at that level for a long time,” the police chief said.
Wessel shared the good news that the Federal Emergency Management Agency and State of Iowa will cover the city's cost of flood damage, with FEMA picking up 90 percent and the state 10 percent of the cost.
The RAP Breakfast Committee includes Dani Jones, Debbie Marion, Gary Folluo, Jerrod Leffler, Nancy Symmonds, Alka Khanalkar, Dan Krueger, Tim Ahern, Tracey Lamm and Katie O'Brien.
The next RAP breakfast will be held on Thursday, Oct. 16, at the Holiday Inn Express. Breakfast starts at 6:45 a.m., followed by the program at 7:10 a.m.
The next Chamber After Business is set from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, at Tipen' Necker's Tap & Grill in Keokuk.
The effort by volunteers of all ages, the Keokuk Municipal Water Works, Roquette America, Inc. and the National Guard among others also greatly contributed to Keokuk's success story, Wessel and Crew said. While the riverfront received some damage, the water plant, wastewater treatment plant and Roquette's plant along the riverfront did not sustain damage.
Coincidentally, neither Mayor David Gudgel nor Mayor Pro Tem Susan Dunek were in town when it became apparent the city would be dealing with a major flood.
“We were able to act without them because we have experience with tragedies,” Wessel said. “We brought them up to speed when they returned to the community.”
The city's incident management team headed by Wessel entered a crisis mode on June 13 when it met with water works personnel and the board.
“The following week we received word our crest would be 14 inches over the 1993 level,” Wessel recalled. “We brought in Joe Riter (from the city's public works department). We found out we were four inches short (of the expected crest) on the concrete (flood) wall so we transitioned to a very critical mode.”
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“For a smaller community with limited resources, we worked very efficiently,” the fire chief said. “Without the volunteers and contractors, we couldn't have done it at all.”
Crew called the community's response “team work at its best.”
“It's rare that fire and police don't fight, but we were a unified effort. We got whatever we asked for,” Crew added.
The police chief said the number of children who sandbagged helped save the city.
Crew also praised Riter for having the foresight to survey the levee along the riverfront.
“We didn't have a plan before on what to do in case of a levee breech,” Crew said, adding the situation along the levee was touch and go at times.
“We'll come out of this with a play book,” he added. “Now we have a plan in case the (Keokuk-Hamilton) bridge shuts down (on the Illinois approach side).”
Although it looked like Tri-State Area citizens wouldn't be allowed to cross the dam as they did during the 1993 flood, a plan was adopted this time in relatively short time during a meeting attended by 21 people, according to Crew. It took only two hours to develop the plan, which will be used as a model in other parts of the country, he said.
Crew noted alarms were set up at the Roquette plant along the river in case of a levee breech.
“The threat of a levee breech was high due to a large boil and the high crest that stayed at that level for a long time,” the police chief said.
Wessel shared the good news that the Federal Emergency Management Agency and State of Iowa will cover the city's cost of flood damage, with FEMA picking up 90 percent and the state 10 percent of the cost.
The RAP Breakfast Committee includes Dani Jones, Debbie Marion, Gary Folluo, Jerrod Leffler, Nancy Symmonds, Alka Khanalkar, Dan Krueger, Tim Ahern, Tracey Lamm and Katie O'Brien.
The next RAP breakfast will be held on Thursday, Oct. 16, at the Holiday Inn Express. Breakfast starts at 6:45 a.m., followed by the program at 7:10 a.m.
The next Chamber After Business is set from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, at Tipen' Necker's Tap & Grill in Keokuk.
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