Government & Politics

Some experts from FEMA can help flood victims recover and prepare for future flooding. Two "mitigation specialists" are spending the week at Hayman's Westside Ace Hardware in Davenport to answer questions and give advice.

Starting Monday, the Flood Donation and Distribution Center will no longer be open at the former Office Max store in Davenport. Instead, the donation center will move to the Salvation Army's locations in Davenport and Moline. (Other agencies such as FEMA and the SBA will not move.)

Davenport City Administrator, Corri Spiegel, discusses the city's flood fight in a three-page letter posted online yesterday. You can read it below or online HERE.

It includes praise for public works employees and updates about current flood protection and the study of last month's levee breach. 

Illinois National Guard soldiers from the western and central parts of the state are being called up to help fight flooding along the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. They're members of the 2nd Battalion, 123rd Field Artillery, based in the Quad Cities (Milan), with units in Galesburg and Springfield.

Some welcome help for the King Center in Rock Island from the state of Illinois. It's one of 20 non-profit organizations that'll receive grants from the state's Charitable Trust Stabilization Fund. 

After flash flooding and sewer overflows on Monday (Memorial Day), Davenport is preparing for more rain this week. Currently the Mississippi River is 3.4 feet above flood stage and forecast to rise to about six feet above flood stage by Saturday. 

This week, the Iowa DOT will change the traffic detour in Bettendorf. Starting Wednesday, weather permitting, 12th Street and Kimberly Road will be restriped for two-way traffic. 

As the I-74 Bridge Project continues, the Illinois DOT will change a few traffic patterns in Moline.