Jun 14, 2008
Very high water along the Des Moines River continued to put stress on the levee system in Des Moines. The crest had passed, however water levels were still within about a foot of the record crest. A weak spot in the levee in the Birdland Park area gave way in spite of the heroic effort put forth by the citizens and the National Guard to shore the levee up. A breech of about 100 feet in width occurred around 0230 CST. This caused very rapid water rises of about 4 feet in the flooded area with
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database (event 93934). 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.