Too much rain

 

By Mary Reiman

The force of water. It could be the title of a book. This summer it is the story of Northwest Iowa. Beginning the weekend of June 22nd.

When asked where I’m from in Iowa, I usually say Okoboji because most people know where it is. Many have been there for summer camps or family vacations. They often remember their favorite band playing at the Roof Garden (there was a dance there every Tuesday night in the summer), the roller coaster (one might use the word rickety to describe it...but that didn’t stop us from riding it), saltwater taffy or a nutty bar at Arnolds Park.  

My summer job was cleaning cottages, so I did not necessarily love the vacationers. They were messy, leaving lots of sand and trash everywhere when they headed home. 

I do remember the people. Lots of people. Traffic backed up trying to get through Arnolds Park. And boats. Boats backed up waiting to go under the bridge between East and West Lake Okoboji. 

Fast forward to July 17, 2024. In all the years I passed the lake on Highway 71, I never remember a time (especially in July) when no boats were in the water. Not one.

Last week, our family from California, Florida, Minnesota, and Nebraska came together at Okoboji. 5 miles from the farm where I grew up. Now we were the vacationers. We spent a day at the amusement park, watching the kids ride the roller coaster (it’s been rebuilt and was a favorite ride for much of the group), the scrambler (that’s way too much spinning for me), and the ferris wheel (great views of the lake from high above the water).

Our family time together was not impacted by the recent flooding, other than the bridge out on the road I usually traveled to get there. However, it was an eerie feeling, seeing the aftermath of the rains which impacted the economy of the area: the lake activities (less summer crowds than usual), the crops (those ponds in the fields were not supposed to be there covering the corn and beans) and most significantly, the city of Spencer.

Okoboji. It’s a lake. There’s water. But never this much water, and it’s almost a month after the rain came. It was the topic of conversation in every store. Less vacationers = less shoppers. No lines to get a snack. Boats sitting in the fields near the lake, instead of in the lake. The docks still underwater. The boat lifts still partially submerged.  

This picture is from Terrace Park, near the Boys Town’s Camp Okoboji. Since the docks came apart and some trees/branches washed into the lake, there was much debris being cleared before being safe for the summer boat traffic to return.

Meanwhile, Spencer, Iowa, population 11,400, is 14 miles south of Okoboji. It is where we went to buy clothes, shoes, school supplies when I was growing up. The weekend of June 22nd it also rained...and rained...and rained in Spencer. Water stretching out far beyond the banks of the Little Sioux River  which runs through town. 

The people in Spencer are hard-working Iowa families. Now picking up the pieces. I would guess some are still in shock. I am, just looking at the photos. The destruction of homes and businesses, the livelihood of so many in the community who had seen rain before, seen the river has overflowed its banks in years past, but nothing like this. Nothing of this magnitude.

As important as the boats and the lake are to the economy of the Okoboji area, it is nothing compared to the impact of this rain in Spencer. 1000 homes were completely destroyed and approximately 2,500 were damaged. Replacing, repairing, perhaps relocating. Where would you begin?

It seems that every day we see the force of nature causing chaos throughout the country. The impact on the life of a community. People persevering with grit and determination. I know that is happening in Spencer. 

I am also well aware we need water for many reasons. It is a precious commodity in this country and around the world. But in 2024, on a June weekend in Northwest Iowa, there was too much rain. 

A few additional photos for those of you who have visited the Iowa Great Lakes Region:

June 22nd, Casey's, Spencer:

Clearing out homes damaged in Spencer:

June 22, 2024 Arnold Park main street (near the Nutty Bar Stand):

July 19, 2024 Arnolds Park main street that many of us recognize:

July 19, 2024 Boat lifts on Lake Okoboji...without boats:

July 19, 2024 The end of the day: