U Iowa students and administrators have fled after flood waters closed the campus and classes. University President Sally Mason said the institution now needs money after meeting its goal of sandbagging the campus.
The Daily Iowan, a UWIRE affiliate, also needed to evacuate and left their offices at The Adler Journalism Building. They’ve moved into space at The Gazette, the local newspaper, and will continue reporting the story. For a photo slideshow, please see The Daily Iowan.
U. Iowa begins to survey its buildings, process damages
Hancher Auditorium is dark. The building is without electricity, and the water has now receded to the 15th row of the venue, leaving mud and mildew on the once-flooded stage.
For the first time, officials escorted members of the media into three buildings on the UI’s art campus on Thursday, surveying damage along the way.
“A building that has a river flowing through it is a building that will have extensive damage,” said Dan Heater, the director of operations and maintenance for UI Facilities Management.
Officials will have a dollar estimate of the damage to the university by this afternoon, he said.
As of Thursday, 20 campus buildings were still closed. Iowa City officials reopened the Highway 6 bridge, however, in addition to lifting numerous evacuation orders.
Full Story from The Daily Iowan
Evacuation orders lifted, U. Iowa summer classes to resume
A stream of summer-session students will flow back into classrooms as courses resume on June 23.
Eight-week classes will recommence after being on hiatus for the past week, and the six-week session will begin as scheduled on June 24. But many courses will meet in different locations - 20 major buildings on the University of Iowa campus remain closed.
“We will be open for business next June 23, and summer classes will go on as scheduled,” said UI President Sally Mason in a press briefing Wednesday. “But please do not construe this to mean ‘business as usual.’ ”
Full Story from The Daily Iowan
U Iowa community copes with disaster
As the floodwaters remained high in Iowa City on Sunday, those with UI connections continued to cope with a crippled campus.
Even as UI administrators closed down the English-Philosophy Building and floodwaters surrounded it, professors who teach there prepared to proceed with their summer classes elsewhere.
Stephen Kuusisto, an English professor, said his eight-week summer-session course was only able to meet in the EPB on its first day.
“By the time the next class rolled around, we had already been moved to the physics building, Van Allen Hall,” he said.
Given the seriousness of the flooding and the devastation the UI is facing, he said, the logistical issues surrounding classroom reassignments are minor.
Full Story from The Daily Iowan
U Iowa seeks flood relief through donations
Campus officials no longer need muscle. After meeting all sandbagging goals on campus this past weekend, UI President Sally Mason said the university could now use money to aid recovery.
The UI Foundation established a special flood relief fund on Sunday, allowing alumni and community members to contribute to relief.
Lynette Marshall, the foundation’s president, said alumni, parents, and media have been requesting alternative methods to sandbagging in order to assist the effort. At a previous press conference, Mason estimated that the UI has sustained millions of dollars in damages so far.
Full Story from The Daily Iowan
U Iowa academics on hold, officials worried about research
When UI senior Sara Karimi’s eight-week Shakespeare course last met on Thursday in the Adler Journalism and Mass Communication Building, the place was still bustling with the sound of professors and students.
Today, the building sits empty, having been evacuated as floodwaters inch closer and closer to its 3-year-old frame.
As for Karimi? Well, summer break came a bit earlier than expected.
On Friday, UI officials suspended summer classes and halted all non-essential research through June 22. Campus officials acknowledged that the action will have some effect on academia at the UI - the severity of which is still unknown.
Full Story from The Daily Iowan
Onslaught of floodwater shuts down U. Iowa campus
Only the tops of parking meters are visible in the muck. The sandbag wall, which volunteers spent countless days erecting, has been breached in many places. A fine layer of water on the ground floor of Mayflower has developed.
The North Dubuque Street residence hall is taking on water. A walkway extends from the Cliff Apartments directly north of the dorm over the flooded parking lots to Mayflower’s side door.
On central campus, notices taped to the doors of the Adler Journalism Building and the Becker Communications Studies Building warned people to stay out or face trespassing charges.
As the Iowa River sped by with a much-quickened current, the muddy waters continued to affect nearly every aspect of the University of Iowa.
Full Story from The Daily Iowan
U Iowa Hawk Alert not implemented for flooding
When much of the UI received the first Hawk Alert of the summer on Saturday, it wasn’t for flooding.
Succinct, the message read, “The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for Johnson County, Iowa. Take shelter immediately. Tune into mass media outlets for details.”
As the UI campus is increasingly suffocated by floodwater, UI officials supported their decision Thursday not to use the alarm system throughout the ordeal. Due to the localized nature of dangers posed by floodwaters, university officials opted not to use the Hawk Alert system to issue flood warnings.
Full Story from The Daily Iowan
Some U Iowa students flee flooding, others fight
Jie Liu was asleep when there was a knock at his door. His friend brought the bad news - it was time to evacuate his apartment at Hawkeye Court Apartments.
Now, Liu’s time in Iowa is coming to an end. The river has chased him out of his home, and robbed him of a job and his studies.
Liu is currently living at Parklawn after he and his family were evacuated from their home of three years. But the graduate student hopes to leave not only the UI, but the entire state immediately.
Full Story from The Daily Iowan
Column: Finding a rare moment of peace amid soaked suffering
As natural disasters go, floods in particular are hard to react to. Not to say that any disaster is easy. But with floods, after a week, the disaster may still be there.
For the lack of a better analogy, I’ve felt like the cartoon character screaming in freefall who has to take a comically awkward deep breath in order to keep screaming.
Full Story from The Daily Iowan
Column: Victims rise above floods, work toward greater good
The storms are truly life changing. But I believe that above all else, the storms have shown us the true spirit of people. People aren’t asking for what they don’t need.
People of all walks of life in Indiana and indeed throughout the Midwest, have set aside their differences and are working toward the greater good. It’s odd that sometimes our greatest moments come from our darkest hours.
Full Story from The Daily News
Editorial: Floods ruin things, not people
Our counterpart at the University of Iowa, The Daily Iowan, is produced at the Adler Journalism Building. Built in 2005, the $19 million facility houses not only the campus newspaper, but also the school of mass communication and journalism.
It is currently flooded, forcing not only classes to be cancelled but also offices and the newsroom of the Daily Iowan to be relocated. But admirably, the staff continues to publish amidst the disaster.
And even though they may not be able to use their building again until later this summer when campus is expected to return to normal, they’ll still strive to tell the stories of people coming together and coping with the flood.
Full Story from The Daily Illini