SIOUX CITY (KTIV) – Sioux City Fire Chief Tom Everett spoke to local media Sunday evening about what the city expects in the event of possible flooding.
Chief Everett said since Sunday evening they have been asking residents to avoid two parts of Sioux City, Riverside and Riverfront. This is due to floodwaters seen in the area, with water seeping into some roads.
“City crews worked in Riverside all weekend installing HESCO barriers to extend our levee, place pumps and reinforce around our wells,” Everett said.
As of 7:30 p.m. Sunday, officials said they found the Big Sioux River to be at 44.25 feet. To put that into perspective, the record is 37.7 feet. Everett says that according to his latest update with the National Weather Service, the Big Sioux will be at 43.5 around 1 a.m. Monday, which means he thinks the Big Sioux has peaked and should begin to to come down.
For the Missouri River, they expect a crest at 7 a.m. Monday where it is expected to reach 31.1 feet, which is higher than the 30.2 feet seen during the 2019 floods. But it is lower than that measured during the 2011 floods, which was 35.2 feet.
During the press conference, Everett made it clear that these forecasts were based on the latest information from the National Weather Service. He also added that some of their predictions were wrong.
“A theme we saw today is that they understated the estimates,” Everett said. “North of us, they requested ridges at certain levels and these were exceeded. So here, obviously, we were protected six to seven feet above what is expected and we see water at Riverside, that’s to give you an idea. All we can do is delete their data and information.
With all the rising waters Sunday evening, several roads were closed in the Sioux City area, including:
- The Hamilton Blvd exit ramp for I-29
- Chris Larsen Park Walk
- Military Road north of Riverside
“We would like you to avoid Riverside completely if possible, but certainly River Drive and the areas along the river itself,” Everett said. “Just avoid the Riverfront completely.”
Everett says they’re not calling for evacuations in Riverside or any other neighborhood. But he says Riverside residents should keep an eye on social media and local media to stay informed, in case the situation changes.
“They need to stay tuned to the news and social media for updates and be prepared to leave their home if necessary,” Everett said.
There were at least four homes in Riverside Sunday evening that had water up to their lawns, and that water had flowed into nearby streets. Everett said crews had pumps in the neighborhood to pump water into the river. Everett suggested Riverside residents remove valuables from their basements as a precaution.
“City crews are placing pumps in low-lying areas, especially in Riverside, to make sure utilities can keep up and we are doing our best to keep water from entering basements,” he said. Everett said. “We know that utilities are going to be overwhelmed (in the Riverside area). We’re doing our best to pump and if we’re at the top we should at least be able to keep it where it is.
No sandbags have been made available to residents and Everett says that’s because they think the Big Sioux River will start to go down now, and the Missouri River is expected to start going down Monday morning.
You can watch Sunday’s full press conference below.
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