Editing Cedar Rapids, Iowa (section)

===Flood of 2016===
During the flood of 2016, remnants of [[Hurricane Paine]] from the eastern [[Pacific Ocean]] via the [[Gulf of California]] caused the second highest recorded crest of the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids, reaching {{convert|22|ft|m}} on September 27.<ref>{{cite news | title = Hurricane Paine Named in Pacific Could Bring Rain to Southwest | url = https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/video/hurricane-paine-named-in-pacific-could-bring-rain-to-southwest | work = [[The Weather Channel]] | date = September 19, 2016 | access-date = September 28, 2016 | archive-date = October 1, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161001191339/https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/video/hurricane-paine-named-in-pacific-could-bring-rain-to-southwest | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Tropical Storm Paine Will Bring Rain to the Southwest | url = https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/video/tropical-storm-paine-will-bring-rain-to-the-southwest-0 | work = The Weather Channel | date = September 20, 2016 | access-date = September 28, 2016 | archive-date = October 1, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161001234425/https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/video/tropical-storm-paine-will-bring-rain-to-the-southwest-0 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Tropical Storm Paine Weakens as it Nears Land | url = https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/video/tropical-storm-paine-weakens-as-it-nears-land | work = The Weather Channel | date = September 26, 2016 | access-date = September 28, 2016 | archive-date = October 1, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161001201350/https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/video/tropical-storm-paine-weakens-as-it-nears-land | url-status = dead }}</ref> The inundation of southern Minnesota, central and western Wisconsin, and northeastern Iowa by Hurricane Paine's remnants began on September 21 and 22 and continued until the end of the month.<ref name=TWC>{{cite news | last = Erdman | first = Jon | title = Upper Midwest Flooding Recap September 2016 | url = https://weather.com/storms/severe/news/flash-flood-forecast-midwest-sep2016 | work = The Weather Channel | date = September 23, 2016 | access-date = September 28, 2016}}</ref><ref name=AgDay27>{{cite news | title = AgDay Daily Recap -September 27, 2016 | url = http://www.agweb.com/article/agday-daily-recap--september-27-2016-naa-agday-tv/ | work = AgDay | date = September 27, 2016 | access-date = September 28, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161002115022/http://www.agweb.com/article/agday-daily-recap--september-27-2016-naa-agday-tv/ | archive-date = October 2, 2016 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name=AgDay28>{{cite news | title = AgDay Daily Recap -September 28, 2016 | url = http://www.agweb.com/article/agday-daily-recap--september-28-2016-naa-agday-tv/ | work = AgDay | date = September 28, 2016 | access-date = September 28, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161002130207/http://www.agweb.com/article/agday-daily-recap--september-28-2016-naa-agday-tv/ | archive-date = October 2, 2016 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name=woitvFlood24>{{cite news | last = Pavlak | first = Shanna | title = Iowa, Wisconsin face flood threat with swollen rivers: Evacuations underway in Cedar Rapids, Iowa | url = http://www.weareiowa.com/news/iowa-wisconsin-face-flood-threat-with-swollen-rivers | work = [[WOI-DT|WOI tv]] | agency = [[CNN]] | date = September 24, 2016 | access-date = September 28, 2016 | archive-date = October 2, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161002070705/http://www.weareiowa.com/news/iowa-wisconsin-face-flood-threat-with-swollen-rivers | url-status = dead }}</ref> The cresting in Cedar Rapids was below the initial estimate of {{convert|25|ft|m}} and the revised estimate of {{convert|23|ft|m}}, but more than {{convert|10|ft|m}} above the flood stage of {{convert|12|ft|m}}.<ref name=NOAARiverGauge>{{cite web | title = Cedar River at Cedar Rapids | url = http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=dvn&gage=cidi4 | work = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] | access-date = September 28, 2016}}</ref><ref name=WHOTVFlood>{{cite news | last = Maricle | first = Kelly | title = River Level Forecast Drops but Cedar Rapids Still to See Major Flooding | url = http://whotv.com/2016/09/26/river-level-forecast-drops-but-cedar-rapids-still-to-see-major-flooding/ | work = [[WHO-DT|WHO tv]] | location = Des Moines | date = September 26, 2016 | access-date = September 28, 2016}}</ref><ref name=GazetteFlood>{{cite news | title = Gazette Flood Center 2016 | url = http://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/flood-2016 | newspaper = [[The Gazette (Cedar Rapids)|The Gazette]] | access-date = September 28, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160928222311/http://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/flood-2016 | archive-date = September 28, 2016 | url-status = dead | df = mdy-all }}</ref> The flood was above levels considered to have about a 1% chance of occurring in a given year.<ref name=DMRegisterLevee>{{cite news | last = Aschbrenner | first = Joel | title = 8 years after flood, Cedar Rapids lacks new levees | url = http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/weather/2016/09/23/iowa-flooding-cedar-rapids-still-lacks-levees-years-later/90908190/ | newspaper = [[The Des Moines Register]] | date = September 23, 2016 | access-date = September 28, 2016}}</ref>{{efn|The September 2016 flood level is misleadingly referred to as the ''"once in a 100-year flood"''.<ref name=DMRegisterLevee/>}} More than 5,000 homes were affected, causing over 5,000 people to evacuate.<ref name=DMRegisterLevee/><ref name=AgDayEvacuated/><ref name=GazetteEvacuationMap>{{cite news | title = New Cedar Rapids evacuation map | url = http://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/flood-2016/new-cedar-rapids-evacuation-map-20160928 | newspaper = The Gazette | date = September 28, 2016 | access-date = September 28, 2016}}</ref><ref name=DMRegisterUpstream>{{cite news | last1 = Petrosky | first1 = William | last2 = Leys | first2 = Tony | title = Residents of 5,000 Cedar Rapids homes asked to evacuate | url = http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2016/09/25/cedar-rapids-iowa-floods-cedar-river-evacuate/91078970/ | newspaper = The Des Moines Register | date = September 25, 2016 | access-date = September 28, 2016}}</ref> The [[Cedar Rapids Community School District|Cedar Rapids Schools]] were closed for a week.<ref name=GazetteNeedToKnow>{{cite news | last = Gazette Staff | title = Cedar Rapids Flood 2016: What you need to know: The latest flood news, closures, volunteer information and more | url = http://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/flood-2016/cedar-rapids-flood-2016-what-you-need-to-know-20160927 | newspaper = The Gazette | date = September 27, 2016 | access-date = September 28, 2016}}</ref>

In 2015, Cedar Rapids approved a $625 million flood protection plan over 20 years for levee improvements.<ref name=DMRegisterLevee/> Although the improvement to the levee system in Cedar Rapids had not been completed due to over $80 million in funding not appropriated by the [[United States Congress]]es of [[114th United States Congress|2014]] and [[114th United States Congress|2016]] and the voting down by local residents of a temporary increase in the local sales tax to pay for the levee improvements,{{efn|$15 million in revenues are expected from a 2016 passage of a local sales tax increase to provide some funding for levee improvements.<ref name=DMRegisterLevee/>}} out of school students along with hundreds of thousands of volunteers and 412 Iowa National Guard troops filled more than a quarter of a million sandbags in a successful effort to prevent any major flooding of the city outside the evacuation zone.<ref name=DMRegisterLevee/><ref name=SentTribLevee>{{cite news | title = Iowa city braces for highest floodwaters since 2008 record | url = http://www.sent-trib.com/news/iowa-city-braces-for-highest-floodwaters-since-record/article_8b17cd82-84c3-11e6-a2c6-5fbd284fac12.html | newspaper = Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune | location = [[Bowling Green, Ohio|Bowling Green]] | agency = [[Associated Press]] | date = September 27, 2016 | access-date = September 28, 2016 | archive-date = August 28, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210828202936/https://www.sent-trib.com/news/iowa-city-braces-for-highest-floodwaters-since-record/article_8b17cd82-84c3-11e6-a2c6-5fbd284fac12.html | url-status = dead }}</ref> A {{convert|9.8|mi|km|adj=on}} system of [[Hesco bastion|Hesco barriers]], earthen berms, and over 400,000 sandbags were used to plug the gaps in the levee system.<ref name=DMRegisterLevee/><ref name=IPR>{{cite news | last1 = Leland | first1 = Michael | last2 = Borg | first2 = Dean | title = Cedar Rapids Sees River Crest, Flood Protection Holding | url = http://iowapublicradio.org/post/cedar-rapids-sees-river-crest-flood-protection-holding#stream/0 | work = [[Iowa Public Radio]] | date = September 27, 2016 | access-date = September 28, 2016}}</ref><ref name=WHOHesco>{{cite news | last = Whitworth | first = Jodi | title = Cedar Rapids' Levee Protection System Battling Floods | url = http://whotv.com/2016/09/27/cedar-rapids-levee-protection-system-battling-floods/ | work = WHO tv | location = Des Moines | date = September 27, 2016 | access-date = September 28, 2016}}</ref> The city of Cedar Rapids purchased additional Hesco barriers from Iowa City for $1.4 million.<ref name=KCCIHesco>{{cite news | title = Flood Summary: Thousands will return home Wednesday | url = http://www.kcci.com/news/flood-summary-temporary-floodwalls-continue-to-hold/41861348 | work = [[KCCI]] | location = Des Moines | date = September 28, 2016 | access-date = September 28, 2016}}</ref> Numerous upstream cities that had been earlier affected by the September flooding and mandatory evacuations, including [[Charles City, Iowa|Charles City]], [[Greene, Iowa|Greene]], [[Manchester, Iowa|Manchester]], [[Clarksville, Iowa|Clarksville]], [[Shell Rock, Iowa|Shell Rock]], [[Vinton, Iowa|Vinton]], [[Janesville, Iowa|Janesville]], [[Cedar Falls, Iowa|Cedar Falls]] and [[Waterloo, Iowa|Waterloo]], sent hundreds of thousands of unused sandbags to support efforts in Cedar Rapids and nearby communities.<ref name=AgDay27/><ref name=DMRegisterUpstream/> The remnants of Hurricane Paine did not produce any rain to saturate the temporary earth berms and sandbags, which would have greatly increased the likelihood of breach in the temporary levee structures, causing a much greater flooded area; the river crested during very sunny weather. Additionally, beginning on September 25, 300 to 400 National Guard troops along with the Iowa State Patrol, other law enforcement agencies, and 60 duly sworn law enforcement officials enforced a nightly 8pm to 7am curfew.<ref name=DMRegisterUpstream/><ref name=GazetteNeedToKnow/><ref name=SentTribLevee/>