Floodwaters forced residents to evacuate their homes in parts of Iowa due to weeks of heavy rainfall, while much of the United States was hoping for relief from another round of extreme heat on Saturday.
In Rock Valley, Iowa, with a population of 4,200, sirens sounded at 2 a.m. as the Rock River overflowed, prompting hundreds of people to leave their homes. The city experienced a lack of running water as wells were rendered unusable.
Mayor Kevin Van Otterloo mentioned that a state helicopter was on its way to assist, but was cancelled due to boats being able to reach the stranded residents.
“We’ve had an excessive amount of rain here,” he explained. “We received 4 inches last night within an hour and a half. The ground is saturated and cannot handle any more rainfall.”
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Governor Kim Reynolds declared a state of emergency for 21 counties in northern Iowa, including Sioux County where Rock Valley is located. A drone video shared by the local sheriff showed submerged streets with only rooftops and treetops visible.
Meanwhile, in other parts of the U.S., extreme heat and humidity persisted. The National Weather Service issued heat warnings for about 15 million people and heat advisories for another 90 million.
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Temperatures reaching around 100 degrees Fahrenheit were forecasted for Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia, with Philadelphia, Newark, Columbus, and Detroit expecting temperatures in the high 90s.
In California’s Central Valley, temperatures were projected to soar as high as 106 Fahrenheit, leading to a heat advisory issued by the NWS until 8 p.m. Nearly 4,000 homes and businesses in Sacramento experienced a brief power outage in the middle of the day, as reported by the Sacramento Bee.
