The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
According to the Burlington Hawkeye, "The Mississippi River was forecast to crest Saturday at 24.4 feet. It was at 24.43 feet at 2 p.m., after the breach, according to river gauge readings from the National Weather Service. Ahead of its next crest, the river already has reached the third-highest-recorded flood for Burlington, being surpassed only by the floods of 2008 and 1993."
They also reported that "City Councilman Jon Billups laid responsibility for the flooding in Burlington at the feet of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 'If the Corps would do a better job controlling the river, it wouldn't have happened. Not this bad,' Billups said. Billups has been expressing his frustration about Lock and Dam 19 in Keokuk for the majority of the time the river has been high. 'They're more worried about generating power for Missouri than they are keeping people out of flood stage,' Billups said."
Davenport had similar problems earlier when their similar barriers failed flooding many downtown businesses there.
Also it was reported that at the Burlington Post Office, 300 N. Main St., "water overtook the building's parking lot. As a result, retail operations, including stamps and packages, will be maintained at the West Burlington Post Office at 201 Broadway St., West Burlington. Post office boxes, parcel pick-up and business mailers still will be processed at the Main Street building. Carrier trucks will be kept on Jefferson and Washington streets. 'It's business as usual,' Burlington Post Master Heather Heuvelmann said," the Hawk Eye reported.
Prior to the Mississippi River's predicted crest Saturday, June 1st, waters pushed through Hesco barriers near the lift station which collasped south of the Burlington, Iowa Memorial Auditorium at 1:30 p.m. Within about 20-30 minutes waters surrounded the auditorium and Port of Burlington building, and into the parking lots of the Drake and covering Front Street causing issues at the on-ramp onto the Big River Bridge and US 34 eastbound lanes. According to reports by city officials, the recent heavy rains had saturated the sand in the barriers which contributed to the breach.
Flood waters surrounded the Port of Burlington building and beyond into the Drake restaurant parking lot and caused issues with the on and off ramp of Big River Bridge/US 34. The ramp going from Front Street to the Great River Bridge was closed but Eastbound traffic still was able to take the Front Street exit off U.S. 34 as it was not covered in floodwater. -photos submitted by Jim Hall
The Burlington Depot area is flooded yet trains were running both ways according to Larry Sterett who took this photo shortly after the breach.
-photo submitted by Larry Sterett