Kalona

Over the weekend, heavy rain caused flooding in many areas, including Kalona, Wellman, Washington and Lone Tree.

According to reports, Kalona and surrounding communities such as Wellman, Riverside and Washington received about 2 to 5 inches of rain. Other parts of the county were affected as well. The National Weather Service reported approximately 4.91 inches of rain in Ainsworth.

Many Kalona residents experienced flooding, as did the Kalona Historical Village. The village reported that it believed there was about a foot of water in its basement.

Because of the weather, Fairview Mennonite Church in Kalona canceled services. According to a report, at least five church members were affected by flooding, and the church helped clean out their homes.

To help residents dispose of flood damaged items, the city of Kalona placed a debris dumpster at the public works shop at 711 A Ave. The dumpster is for storm related debris only. It cannot be used for household hazardous waste, paint, chemicals, batteries, propane tanks, tires, electronics or household trash.

On Monday, many Kalona residents were cleaning up after floodwater damaged their belongings. Along Highway 1 entering Kalona, many ditches were filled with water.

Some roads remained closed because they were still underwater, including Poplar Boulevard in Kalona. Other roads affected in the area included 130th Street, Kiwi Avenue and Orange Avenue. In Washington, the Second Street underpass was closed because of flooding from the heavy rain.

Wellman also experienced flooding, with water covering some farmland. The Wellman Rotary Soccer Complex was filled with water for much of the weekend. By Monday, the water had receded and the complex had been cleaned up.

According to NOAA, the English River at Kalona rose well above flood stage, reaching around 18 feet. The river level fluctuated over the weekend and dropped to about 17.6 feet, according to some reports. However, the National Weather Service reported that it had risen to 18.6 feet by Monday. Conditions were expected to dry out by Wednesday.

A flash flood warning went into effect early Sunday morning and remained in effect through Tuesday.

Most of Washington County was affected by the flooding, but parts of Johnson County were affected as well. According to reports, Lone Tree received around 4 to 5 inches of rain, leading to additional flooding.

Near Lone Tree, the Iowa River fluctuated between about 15 and 16 feet. Residents living near the river were also under a flood warning over the weekend and early in the week.

Since April, Kalona and the surrounding area have experienced about six storms, making last weekend’s storm the seventh in five months. Despite the rough weather earlier this week, drier conditions and sunnier days are expected later this week.