Student News Net editor: Welcome to the Student News Net SLOG on severe flooding in Iowa and parts of Illinois and Missouri. The video to the left was taken Saturday, Sept. 25, 2016 at the National Czech and Slovak Museum & Library in Cedar Rapids, Iowa where Coe College student volunteers were helping to fill and place sandbags in advance of the Cedar River cresting tomorrow. Use this social media feature to ask questions and to discuss the weather event with fellow students and teachers. Answers to your questions will be posted on this page.

Mon Sep 26 16:36:07 2016

Student News Net editor: The Cedar River is now expected to crest at 22.0 feet instead of 23.0 feet, which is great news for Cedar Rapids. Watch the video from Sept. 24 to see how the Czech Museum in Cedar Rapids prepared for the flood. Use this forum to discuss and ask questions!

Tue Sep 27 10:21:52 2016

Wyoming student: How are levies built?

Wed Sep 28 11:30:13 2016

Wyoming student: How do they predict the crest of the river?

Wed Sep 28 11:30:37 2016

Wyoming student: Why do they build things where they know it will flood sometime?

Wed Sep 28 11:32:14 2016

Wyoming student: Since we live here in a desert, I am just amazed at the amount of water! Is it always this wet in Iowa?

Wed Sep 28 11:33:08 2016

Wyoming student: Why are levies built of dirt rather than concrete?

Wed Sep 28 11:33:36 2016

Student News Net editor: Great questions Wyoming students! Since a number of the questions dealt with levees, the source for expert information is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. They have good information about levees on their website at:
http://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Levee-Safety-Program/

Regarding the question about whether Iowa has a lot of rain each year, the link below gives annual precipitation by state so you can compare Wyoming and Iowa to other states. Here is the link
http://www.currentresults.com/Weather/US/average-annual-state-precipitation.php

Wed Sep 28 15:16:07 2016

Student News Net editor: The question about how scientists can predict when a river will crest was a great one. The link below is from the University of Iowa College of Engineering that reprinted an article from the Cedar Rapids Gazette. It has a great explanation of the complicated factors that are considered when predicting water flow and height during floods. Here is the link:
http://www.engineering.uiowa.edu/news/cedar-rapids-gazette-predicting-river-crests-more-about-rainfall

Wed Sep 28 15:22:22 2016