The City has lifted the evacuation order for our building! Now begins the massive cleaning effort as we garrison the building to try getting things back to normal operation. We still don't know to what extent we will be able to use the building. Either way, staff will remain off-site to allow for the cleanup process to happen more smoothly. Here are some recent pics shot today by Dan Van Oss...

I stopped by the campus tonight and was shocked to see the water level had receded!

Trees nearby showed a 3-4" wet ring of bark above the water level. The pic below shows debris remaining from the higher water line.

Some shots from the Press Citizen...

These pics are courtesy of Scott, who serves on Parkview staff with me. He managed to get into the building today to survey the, um...aquarium.

"PEOPLE! Someone just needs to get in there and shut this thing off!"

Our first look this morning after several feet of water inundated the church building. To those who are superstitious, it is Friday the 13th.






"What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him. --Ecclesiastes 3.9-14

The church building...


The Idylwild community west of our campus (church building far background, Iowa River far right)...


City Park (foreground) and U of Iowa's Mayflower Residence Hall (background) and Iowa River (between) to the south of the church campus...


Coralville Lake/Reservoir (left), emergency spillway (bottom) and dam release (water ploom top) about three hours up river from us...

We were told today that not only is the staff being moved out and the building vacated, but that we needed to completely evacuate the building and move anything we could grab. Such sudden news was met with yet another valiant army of people to help move everything of value from the building before the waters got too high and begin penetrating the exterior walls.

The time of our arrival mid-afternoon.


The lobby turned stuff-to-be-moved room.


The building's main entryway turned dock and exitway.


...and loaded into multiple 53' semitrailers.


Other belongings were brought out by hand, and we had to make a bridge through the parking lot. Felt very bayou-ish.


Our main Tech booth scathed of A LOT of equipment and cabling...


No more sandbagging for us...we're outta here!


One last look...