March 28, 2024

Cedar Rapids residents hope flood barriers hold

CEDAR RAPIDS — Residents of Cedar Rapids, Iowa’s second-largest city, hope a temporary floodwall that is protecting thousands of homes and downtown buildings from the rain-swollen Cedar River will hold as the waterway crests. The river is expected to reach its peak Tuesday morning at 23 feet before slowly falling through the week. Residents fear a devastating flood like the one that hit the eastern Iowa city of 130,000 in 2008. City crews and residents have been stacking sandbags and building larger barriers for days.