The downside of all-nighters.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Chase Sampson of Nashville, Tenn. A bright, handsome college student, Chase hasn't slept a wink since arriving in New York for a taping of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Apparently, not Chase. Skip to the 56-second mark, right after he says "Final answer:"

We here at Dannation empathize. We gave up $10,000 on national television because we were confident that John Hancock was the last signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was not. Chase, I feel your pain. Let's go eat some Pringles.

PS: There's surprisingly little online about NBC's revival of Twenty-One. (Actually, given its short run, I guess it's not that surprising.) LA Business Journal wrote an article in January 2000 and Wikipedia has an accurate, brief outline of the rules.

Iowa flooding update

A friend had emailed, "You are on my mind every time I hear an Iowa flood/tornado story. Are you all right?" I've gotten at least a call about the Iowa flooding everyday. Here's my reply:

We are safe and sound, high and dry here in Grinnell. (The Grinnell townsite was chosen because it is a high point between Davenport and Des Moines.) Our thoughts are with our fellow Iowans along the Iowa, Cedar, Des Moines, and now Mississippi rivers.

Des Moines fared well - one levee breach flooded a neighborhood and some downtown businesses had minor flooding because of storm sewer backups. Increased protection after the 1993 floods spared Des Moines a direct hit.

Cedar Rapids did not fare as well. Cedar Rapids' flood stage is 12', their record was '20, and the forecast crest last week was 24'. The Cedar River crested just under 32'. Most of the business district and many neighborhoods were affected. The news coverage by KCRG ch. 9 was mesmerizing, especially as the water came within a block of their building. Waterloo and Cedar Falls, also on the Cedar, experienced record flooding. Waterloo had a few feet of water in its downtown. Sandbagging in Cedar Falls kept the river from topping the levee protecting downtown.

The Iowa River flows through U of I's campus in Iowa City. The flooding forced closures of 16 buildings on campus including the library, memorial union, and the journalism building. The river crested 9' above flood stage and 3' higher than the 1993 record. Because of the river's path in Iowa City, it will take time for the waters to recede there. Now, as the rivers recede, all of this water is heading downstream. Cities along the Mississippi are experiencing the swell of water.

On father's day, Sara and I drove to see the flooding first hand. The Des Moines River has cut off her family's access to Oskaloosa - a 15 mile drive is now a 40 mile drive because the road they normally drive is under the Des Moines. We took pictures which are online:



[I hope to write more on this blog, too.]

Though the rivers are receding, we're not in the clear. It will take weeks - maybe months - for rivers to stay in their banks and for fields to dry out. Some farmers may not be able to replant this year. We could use a dry summer. Many families and businesses need to clean out homes and offices of floodwater-ruined documents, furniture, and memories. Already, there are websites with info for relief efforts:

http://www.corridorrecovery.org/ (Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Waterloo, Cedar Falls)
http://www.flood2008.iowa.gov/ (Statewide site)

Again, thanks for thinking of me. Keep us - and other Iowans - in your thoughts and prayers. Organize a relief group and come to Iowa!

Iowa flooding

Thanks for the calls and emails. We're fine here in Grinnell, which is a high point between Des Moines and Davenport. (City founder J. B. Grinnell was a wise man.) The situation is more serious in other communities across central and eastern Iowa. Much of the flooding occurred in the three largest watersheds in Iowa - the Des Moines, Iowa, and Cedar. Des Moines, Iowa City, and Cedar Rapids are experiencing 500-year floods, which means that there's a 1-in-500 (0.2%) chance of a flood of this severity. People living within a 100-year floodplain are required to have flood insurance; those living within the 500-year floodplain are not.

Lots of links:
rivergages.com - shows the levels at different points along the rivers and tributaries of Des Moines, Iowa, and Cedar rivers.
National Weather Service, Des Moines office - Shows both current river levels and forecasts. At this time, all three rivers - Des Moines, Iowa, and Cedar - are forecasted to stay above flood stage for the next seven days.
USGS - More river data. Make your own tables and graphs!
Iowa Department of Transportation - Road closures. There are many roads and bridges that have been washed out or remain underwater. They're also posting photos.

The coverage of the flooding by Iowa news media has been mesmerizing. Check out these websites for photos and stories:

Des Moines Register
Waterloo Courier
The Gazette (Cedar Rapids)
Iowa City Press Citizen
KCRG (Cedar Rapids)
KCCI (Des Moines)

Cities have also been posting good information:
City of Des Moines
City of Iowa City
City of Cedar Rapids

Later this week I'll post entries about watching and reading the coverage and other personal experiences with this flooding. In the meantime, here's a photo album of the Des Moines and South Skunk rivers.

Studs Terkel

Studs Terkel turned 96 last month. Fellow Chicagoan Roger Ebert blogged in his honor. It's a good post with many book suggestions and advice for interviewing and conversations, but I liked it most for how Ebert articulates Terkel's philosophy of life:

Life might have taken me in many other directions, but this is the one given me, and if I stop following it, I will have lost my way. [...] The lesson Studs teaches me every day is that to live is to live is to live.

As an aside, this post also explains why Ebert has not returned to his show with Richard Roeper.

Parkersburg, Iowa Tornado

Amazing video of the destructive EF-5 tornado that hit Parkersburg, Iowa on May 25, 2008.

Multiple cameras inside a bank:


An external bank camera on a house across the street: