Feb 19, 1997
Significant ice jams took place along the Raccoon River along its lower reaches. One occurred where the river flows through a gravel pit on the west side of the Des Moines area. A woman was driving across a flood plain road when one of the ice jams suddenly broke. The water rose quickly and her vehicle was swept off the road with her in it. The woman was drown with both her body and vehicle found several hours later in 30 feet of water. The incident occurred around 0930 CST. Reports indica
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database (event 5586136). Narrative written by NWS staff at the time of the event.
This event is one of many recorded floods in Polk County. See the full FEMA flood zone map, NFIP claim totals, and disaster history for the area.