Davenport Public Works director, Nicole Gleason, says the city will be ready. "We have gotten back out, all of our standard operating procedures and are giving them a review. And then we are in the process of beginning our staff training. So, we have training videos as far as Hesco's and sandbags."
She's referring to Hesco brand flood barriers. This week, Davenport employees will get hands-on experience with them in the city garage. They'll practice fastening them together and placing plastic sheeting according to Corps of Engineers instructions.
"We have a great website called, 'Be Prepared Davenport.' And it does kind of tell residents, downtown businesses what to expect and when to expect it. So, that's kind of an excerpt from our plan as to which actions we would be taking at what river stage."
In 2019, the Mississippi set a record in the Quad Cities at 7.7 feet above flood stage. (Flood stage is 15 feet, so the record is 22.7 ft.) The Corps of Engineers said several factors contributed to the failure of Davenport's, temporary levee that year. And Gleason says all the recommendations from the corps were incorporated into the city's flood plan.
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The weather service will release its third and final spring flood outlook on March 9th.
