Towns, cities located along the Cedar River in eastern Iowa are bracing for the river waters to rise and flood the area as more rainfall is expected throughout the weekend.

In Cedar Rapids, Iowa's second largest city with approximately 130,000 residents, preparation for the flood has been visible with crowds coming together to prepare for the Cedar River waters to jump its banks. According to the city's website, "the Cedar River continues to be projected to crest at 24 feet on Monday, Sept. 26, into Tuesday morning inundate the area."

Cedar Rapids Evacuation Area

In light of this projection, the areas that are immediately along the Cedar River in some parts of the city including downtown will start evacuation at 8:00 p.m. local time Sunday, September 25. The following is the evacuation area-map issued from the city:

The city has in addition issued the following along with the evacuation map:

We are asking for residents and businesses in affected areas to evacuate by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday evening. Evacuation plans are drawn for a 28 feet inundation area. Detailed maps of the area, as well as address lists are available on the City website: www.cedar-rapids.org. If your home or business is on that list, we ask that you secure your possessions and leave your property by that time.

Along with the evacuation, we will also be enacting and enforcing a curfew in evacuated neighborhoods from 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. The police department will be patrolling the neighborhoods.

Evacuations in Palo, Iowa

Evacuations for other communities have already begun along the Cedar River. The town of Palo which sits just seven miles northwest of Cedar Rapids has already seen at least 100 homes near the areas most likely to be affected evacuated.

Other cities and towns such as Waterloo, Charles City, Cedar Falls and Independence have also seen rising waters. Here is a screenshot of the inundation maps for the cities as of Saturday 7:00 p.m., September 24. Most cities are seeing slight flooding, although the city of Cedar Falls has seen the highest level of flooding with the river cresting.

Inundation Maps:

Independence

Cedar Falls

Cedar Rapids

Charles City

Waterloo

Where to Observe These Online Maps

People can head to the IFIS (Iowa Flooding Information System) website for comprehensive flooding information. IFIS is provided by the Iowa Flood Center.