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| Photo by AQHA member Nancy Greene of Ainsworth, Iowa. |
BY JENNIFER HORTON, IOWA QUARTER HORSE ASSOCIATION YOUTH ADVISER
Iowa has been struck by a record-breaking weather pattern the last 30 days that has been trying, to say the least. It began Memorial Day weekend, with a tornado that struck the small towns of Parkersburg and New Hartford in northeast Iowa and moved across the state to Illinois, leaving a path of destruction in its wake.
If you watch TV news at all, the entire country has been introduced to the flooding that has now hit the state. Swollen rivers, combined with a seemingly endless track of storms that continue to march across the country right through our state, dumping more rain on already wet ground saturated from months of winter snow, have burst from their seams and out of their banks. Several rivers in the state have threatened many towns and cities, including the capital city of Des Moines and also major cities of Cedar Falls/Waterloo and Cedar Rapids. Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes, and the damage and destruction seem unreal.
The Iowa Equestrian Center at Kirkwood College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, cancelled the Palomino Horse Breeders Show scheduled for June 14-15, and the facility turned into a temporary animal shelter to accommodate the pets displaced by home evacuations when their owners moved into shelters.
Unfortunately, many of our AQHA members in the state have been living through challenges, from the minor inconveniences of wet basements, power outages, and closed roads creating detours to the major catastrophic water invading their homes and businesses. This past week, a levy near Oakville, Iowa, in the southeast corner of the state broke through and flooded acres of farm ground and homes. The water reaches as far as you can see, leaving building and house rooftops appearing as little islands. Several in our Quarter Horse Community helped out by trailering horses to safety for friends caught up in this flooding.
While the rivers have crested in some areas, several communities are still sandbagging and working to protect themselves and their neighbors. The Iowa National Guard has been onsite in several cities and towns assisting local law enforcement. Roads closed last weekend are beginning to reopen, allowing some normal traffic to resume around the state.
Many farmers across the state have lost their crops in the flooding, as the calendar creeps toward the “it’s too late to replant” date. This comes after most farmers were delayed getting their corn in the ground due to the wet and late spring weather.
You can help ease the burden for Iowa flood victims.
Join Jay Leno for The Tonight Show live at the Mirage in Las Vegas June 25 and 27. Click here to reserve tickets, or contact the Mirage. One hundred percent of the proceeds will be donated to Iowa flood victims.
