Many hands make light work, and that is what the United Way of Muscatine County and the city of Muscatine hope will happen as they look for volunteers to clean up the Muscatine riverfront after the 2024 flood. The public cleanup will be from 8 a.m.
to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Aug.
6. Volunteers are asked to meet at the Riverview Center. Volunteers will work with city employees to remove silt from various areas and clean up the landscape beds on the riverfront.
“We're looking forward to coming together as a community to restore our riverfront to the beautiful place we all enjoy,” said Hilary Henke, community engagement manager for the United Way of Muscatine. Kevin Jenison, City of Muscatine communications director, said United Way had offered to hold the volunteer day to help the city recover from the flood. While he said no survey of the damage from the flood has been done yet, anyone looking at the riverfront can tell many of the grassy areas will need to be cleaned up and the flower beds will need to be cleaned.
He said the city’s Parks and Recreation Department will take care of repairs and cleaning to the parking areas. The Mississippi River went over flood stage in late June and crested at 21.48 feet on July 10, according to the National Weather Service.
While recent heavy rains have slowed the decline of the water, much of the Riverside Park area is no longer under flood waters. The river is forecast to go below flood stage sometime this week. Riverside Park remains closed for now.
Mud, silt and debris from the flood remain on the ground. Mississippi Drive has been reopened to traffic and the Muscle Wall that protected downtown businesses from the flooding has been removed. “There will always be something to do, no matter how much of our staff can get to it,” Jenison said.
“It’s going to take a while to make sure both the Pearl City Station and the Riverview Center are clean and dry and safe to be in. That is the area the Parks and Rec department is concentrating on now.” For more information or to register to help as an individual or team please sign up at the following link: https://unitedwaymuscatine.
galaxydigital.com/need/detail/?need_id=965811 Land subsidence is causing many US cities like New Orleans, New York City, and Miami to slowly sink into the ground, which can damage buildings and infrastructure. When combined with rising sea levels caused by climate change, land subsidence increases the risk of flooding for homes and businesses.
Research estimates land subsidence could decrease home values by 6 to 8% on average in affected areas. Standard homeowners insurance does not cover damage from land subsidence. Land subsidence has both natural causes, like retreating glaciers and tectonic shifts, as well as human causes, like excessive groundwater pumping and heavy construction.
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