Heavy rains flood Eldon, damaging basements

ELDON — Eldon residents are reeling from the 9 inches of rain that ruined basements and closed roads throughout town Thursday night.

Eldon Mayor Jerry Potts said a group of volunteers cleaned up several homes whose furnaces and water heaters were damaged in the flash flood.

“People have had to move out of their homes because it was a total loss,” Potts said.

The American Red Cross is helping Eldon residents who have been dislocated due to the flooding. Potts said Eldon City Hall has cleanup kits for people who experienced flooding, which he said is most of the town.

“We got $35,000 in damages to City Hall’s basement,” Potts said, adding that the floods affected the building’s furnace, central air and electricity.

“The flooding was 3 feet higher than in 1993. It was pretty intense for several hours, and affected people from the northwest corner to the southeast corner down to the Wapello County Fairgrounds. It didn’t seem to miss anybody.”

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources issued a news release indicating that the heavy rains washed out a sewer pipeline in Eldon, causing a 40-foot section of pipe to collapse that crossed a creek southwest of the intersection of West Elm Street and Fifth Street North.

The city will not be able to make repairs until floodwaters recede, causing an estimated discharge of 10,000-15,000 gallons of untreated wastewater per day into the creek. The washout occurred 150 feet from the Des Moines River.

The DNR cautions residents to keep children and pets away from the area until at least 24 to 48 hours after repairs are completed.

Eldon residents who need cleanup assistance from Thursday night’s flood are encouraged to contact Tim Richmond at Wapello County Emergency Management, 641-814-8333, or the Eldon City Hall, 641-652-7510, to be put on the list for assistance. A group is being organized to help.

There will be a dumpster at the new city shop for residents to drop off flood damaged items. No appliances or tires will be accepted.