MASON CITY, IA - A running river and melting snow is a relief from the winter months, but the rainy days ahead are giving some people flooding flashbacks, and that's why Mason City leaders are getting ready. In case the worst should happen.
"The last forecast was done at 1:46, saying 10 and a half feet,” said City Administrator Brent Trout on Wednesday afternoon. “So not much different than what we were looking at."
Trout met with department heads Wednesday to make sure the city's prepared.
They're looking at some of the areas hit the hardest during the floods of 2008.
"Right now, we're bagged to protect the plant to the 100 year rain event or flood event," said City Engineer Mark Rahm.
That's the water treatment plant that was shut down by floodwaters two years ago; it's already surrounded by as many as eleven thousand sandbags, and there's about five or six thousand more where they came from.
City leaders are also keeping a close eye on East Park. It was one of the first places that flooded last time, and they say, they're ready to close the gates at the first sign of flooding, this time.
"11 feet normally, it's out, and PD will normally call or close it for us,” said City Operations Manager Bill Stangler, “Subject to when people can't pass through it anymore."
City workers are also planning to stay close to their phones this weekend with extra staff on standby in case the worst should hit Mason City.
“So yeah, so we'll be in good shape,” said Trout.
As of Wednesday evening, Chief Meteorologist Adam Frederick said, even if the Winnebago River does hit forecasted highs, it'll take another eight feet to hit the levels we saw back in 2008.
In fact, the National Weather Service says there's a less than one percent chance of a flood like that happening in a given year.
Stangler says, they're also helping homeowners get ready for the worst; the city has extra sand if people want to fill sandbags for their homes.
