Iowa Under Water - Send Your Good Vibes Out to Kevin at DVinfo.net

Meryem Ersoz · June 13th, 2008, 03:52 PM

Our UWOL team member and good friend Kevin Railsback is in the middle of dealing with a terrible flooding situation in Iowa. His city, Cedar Rapids, was evacuated and Des Moines, the capital city, is next.

The Ceder Rapids story was the lead story on our Colorado local news last night...cars floating down main street, a railroad bridge swept away by the water. It looks nasty.

I think they shut off all of the power in his city, so he probably doesn't have internet or web access right now, but I always think it helps, in some to send as much UWOL love out to our players as we can.

Hope you're staying safe and dry, Kevin.

Paul Mailath · June 13th, 2008, 04:55 PM

Wow - sounds nasty - we're copping a bit of rain on this side of the world but nothing like that. Hope you and yours keep safe & dry Kevin

Bruce Foreman · June 13th, 2008, 04:59 PM

Hope you and your family are OK, Kevin.

Brian McKay · June 13th, 2008, 05:35 PM

My thoughts are with ya Bro...stay safe

Brian

Catherine Russell · June 13th, 2008, 08:13 PM

God bless you Kevin, and your family also. Be safe. Let us know how we can help. Colorado is dry at the moment, and we have a guest bedroom and we can put others on the floor around the house. This is no joke. You can help me with the farm chores...

Cato

John Dennis Robertson · June 13th, 2008, 11:58 PM

Our thoughts and prayers are with you Kevin

Per Johan Naesje · June 14th, 2008, 01:46 AM

Kevin, hope everything is Ok with you and your familiy! And that the situation will improve in the days to come!

Take care!
Per Johan

Trond Saetre · June 14th, 2008, 03:16 AM

Hi Kevin,

Flooding is a nasty thing. Hope you and your family are ok.
My thoughts are with you!

Trond

Markus Nord · June 14th, 2008, 03:39 AM

Kevin... I try to send a drysuit over... (sorry)

I hope you and your family is ok... I'll be thinking about you...

MArkus

Meryem Ersoz · June 14th, 2008, 08:24 AM

He may not be able to finish his UWOL entry because of the situation, but our boy did manage to put up some quickie footage of the flood in his town and, according to an e-mail that he sent me, he and his wife are feeding all the abandoned animals -- if that isn't pure Kevin!

http://www.silverphoenixllc.com/500_Year_Flood.html

Steven Gotz · June 14th, 2008, 02:29 PM

I flew in to Cedar Rapids on Tuesday evening and left on Wednesday evening. Just in time to miss the flood. I saw the water approaching the bridges when I arrived, and the bridges were all shut down except the one over the river that I needed (the highway) by the time I left.

It was pretty dramatic. But at that time, the news was all about how they had saved Cedar Falls with sandbags. I was lucky that our business meeting was when it was, and not a day later.

Bob Thieda · June 14th, 2008, 02:41 PM

Good luck Kevin...and take care.

I also have other friends in that area, plus the Quad cities and Cedar Falls...
Not to mention a few friends in SW Wisconsin which is also being hit hard...
Tough times for all...

Oliver Pahlow · June 14th, 2008, 04:31 PM

Kevin,

I wish you and your family well and a quick recovery from this mess.

Regards,

Oliver Pahlow

___________________
www.blindchildproductions.com

Kevin Railsback · June 14th, 2008, 07:54 PM

Wow, thanks for all the kind words and messages of support!

My family has been blown away when I tell them I've been getting emails from all over the world checking up on me. UWOL truly is a family and a great one at that.

It's been incredible the response we've had here. A shelter puts out a request for pillows and over 1000 pillows show up in just a couple of hours.

Target has been incredible. They've been shipping in semi loads of blankets, bottled water, you name it. They've been telling the city let us know what you need and we'll do our best to get it here.

PetSmart has shipped in a huge truck with pet supplies and are bringing in another one tomorrow.

I have to tell you, Angi and I broke down into tears when we were dropping off supplies to the makeshift animal shelter at Kirkwood College today.

We had brought over as much dog and cat food as we could afford. We also picked up a lot of toys for the animals to play with to help pass the time while they wait for their owners to find them.

When we walked into the room it was incredible to see the amount of supplies that people had brought in. As we were leaving more people were pulling up with bags upon bags of food, bowls, newspapers, you name it.

But what really got us was the line of people searching for their pets that had to be left behind as the flood waters rose.

The parking lot was filled with animals rescue vehicles from all over the Midwest. It was really something to see the outpouring of love for all these animals. We're going to try and stop by tomorrow to help clean cages, walk dogs etc. They're estimating almost 1000 animals will be there by the end of the week.

Even the number of birds at my feeders has increased. I had to go out an buy more bags of seed because they are snapping it up like you wouldn't believe.

It's also been really something to see people helping each other. One business had sand bagged their sports bar only to realize that there was no way they could save the building. So they loaded up all their sandbags and helped place them around a competitors sports bar because it had a better chance of surviving.

We were on our way out to help sandbag when we noticed our own basement was taking on water. So, a mad dash across town to get pumps etc which Lowe's had brought up from Texas in semi loads, and we managed to keep the water from doing more than soaking the carpet. So, while we're in between dropping off supplies to the animal shelters or running jugs of water to friends who are on water rationing, we''re trying to dry our own home out.

I even managed to squeeze out a few frames for my UWOL entry. :)
It's not going to be much at all but I said I'd enter something even if it was paint drying.
Course, it might be carpet drying, you never know. :)

The river crested here yesterday but the towns below us are just starting to flood badly. They say the river won't fall below flood stage now until Friday.

Since I made my little video on our way to get supplies, the number of city blocks under water had jumped from 400+ to over 1300 city blocks. That's just Cedar Rapids. small towns all around are still totally under water. Other know it's coming and are trying to evacuate while they still can.

My wife's old law office was all under water and a total loss. They are setting up offices in her current building to house as many attorney's as they can who need to set up an office while they are rebuilding. They may battle each other in the courts but when it comes to things like this, they band together because they know it could have just as easily been them.

So, travel is still limited. To get to Iowa City, normally like a 30 mile trip requires a 281 mile detour because there are so many roads under water.

So, that's kind of it at the moment. Sorry for the ramble but I've been running down to check the fans and dehumidifiers and forgot what I was going to say. :)

Hopefully the worst is over. It rained enough today to they say the river will stop falling for a bit. More rain coming in tomorrow.

Thank you again for all your kind words and encouragement. My wife and I have both been deeply touched by the caring and concern from my UWOL family.

Marj Atkins · June 15th, 2008, 12:53 PM

Amazing stories you have to tell Kevin! Really wonderful to hear how kind and generous people are when disaster strikes.
So glad to hear that your home wasn’t totally inundated by the flood waters - and that hopefully, as you say, the worst is over for you now. You are in our thoughts and prayers.

June 13th, 2008, 03:52 PM	#1
Meryem Ersoz Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 3,015	Iowa Under Water - Send Your Good Vibes Out to Kevin Our UWOL team member and good friend Kevin Railsback is in the middle of dealing with a terrible flooding situation in Iowa. His city, Cedar Rapids, was evacuated and Des Moines, the capital city, is next. The Ceder Rapids story was the lead story on our Colorado local news last night...cars floating down main street, a railroad bridge swept away by the water. It looks nasty. I think they shut off all of the power in his city, so he probably doesn't have internet or web access right now, but I always think it helps, in some to send as much UWOL love out to our players as we can. Hope you're staying safe and dry, Kevin.

June 13th, 2008, 04:55 PM	#2
Paul Mailath Trustee Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Central Coast - NSW, Australia Posts: 1,606	Wow - sounds nasty - we're copping a bit of rain on this side of the world but nothing like that. Hope you and yours keep safe & dry Kevin __________________ Cheers - Paul M. www.perbenyik.com

June 13th, 2008, 08:13 PM	#5
Catherine Russell Trustee Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Lyons, Colorado Posts: 1,224	God bless you Kevin, and your family also. Be safe. Let us know how we can help. Colorado is dry at the moment, and we have a guest bedroom and we can put others on the floor around the house. This is no joke. You can help me with the farm chores... Cato Last edited by Catherine Russell; June 14th, 2008 at 09:07 AM.

June 14th, 2008, 01:46 AM	#7
Per Johan Naesje Trustee Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Akershus, Norway Posts: 1,413	Kevin, hope everything is Ok with you and your familiy! And that the situation will improve in the days to come! Take care! Per Johan __________________ - Per Johan

June 14th, 2008, 03:39 AM	#9
Markus Nord Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Vastervik ,Sweden Posts: 639	Kevin... I try to send a drysuit over... (sorry) I hope you and your family is ok... I'll be thinking about you... MArkus __________________ www.nordproduktion.se https://vimeo.com/nordproduktion

June 13th, 2008, 04:59 PM	#3
Bruce Foreman Trustee Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: San Angelo Texas Posts: 1,518	Hope you and your family are OK, Kevin.

June 13th, 2008, 05:35 PM	#4
Brian McKay Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Rankin Inlet, Nunavut Canada Posts: 289	My thoughts are with ya Bro...stay safe Brian

June 13th, 2008, 11:58 PM	#6
John Dennis Robertson Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Johanesburg South Africa Posts: 217	Our thoughts and prayers are with you Kevin

June 14th, 2008, 03:16 AM	#8
Trond Saetre Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Bergen, Norway Posts: 3,375	Hi Kevin, Flooding is a nasty thing. Hope you and your family are ok. My thoughts are with you! Trond

June 14th, 2008, 08:24 AM	#10
Meryem Ersoz Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 3,015	He may not be able to finish his UWOL entry because of the situation, but our boy did manage to put up some quickie footage of the flood in his town and, according to an e-mail that he sent me, he and his wife are feeding all the abandoned animals -- if that isn't pure Kevin! http://www.silverphoenixllc.com/500_Year_Flood.html

June 14th, 2008, 02:29 PM	#11
Steven Gotz Trustee Join Date: May 2002 Location: Clermont, FL Posts: 1,520	I flew in to Cedar Rapids on Tuesday evening and left on Wednesday evening. Just in time to miss the flood. I saw the water approaching the bridges when I arrived, and the bridges were all shut down except the one over the river that I needed (the highway) by the time I left. It was pretty dramatic. But at that time, the news was all about how they had saved Cedar Falls with sandbags. I was lucky that our business meeting was when it was, and not a day later. __________________ Steven Gotz http://www.stevengotz.com

June 14th, 2008, 02:41 PM	#12
Bob Thieda Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Carol Stream, IL Posts: 541	Good luck Kevin...and take care. I also have other friends in that area, plus the Quad cities and Cedar Falls... Not to mention a few friends in SW Wisconsin which is also being hit hard... Tough times for all... __________________ Bob T.

June 14th, 2008, 04:31 PM	#13
Oliver Pahlow Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Woodridge Illinois Posts: 237	Kevin, I wish you and your family well and a quick recovery from this mess. Regards, Oliver Pahlow ___________________ www.blindchildproductions.com

June 14th, 2008, 07:54 PM	#14
Kevin Railsback Trustee Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa Posts: 1,544	Wow, thanks for all the kind words and messages of support! My family has been blown away when I tell them I've been getting emails from all over the world checking up on me. UWOL truly is a family and a great one at that. It's been incredible the response we've had here. A shelter puts out a request for pillows and over 1000 pillows show up in just a couple of hours. Target has been incredible. They've been shipping in semi loads of blankets, bottled water, you name it. They've been telling the city let us know what you need and we'll do our best to get it here. PetSmart has shipped in a huge truck with pet supplies and are bringing in another one tomorrow. I have to tell you, Angi and I broke down into tears when we were dropping off supplies to the makeshift animal shelter at Kirkwood College today. We had brought over as much dog and cat food as we could afford. We also picked up a lot of toys for the animals to play with to help pass the time while they wait for their owners to find them. When we walked into the room it was incredible to see the amount of supplies that people had brought in. As we were leaving more people were pulling up with bags upon bags of food, bowls, newspapers, you name it. But what really got us was the line of people searching for their pets that had to be left behind as the flood waters rose. The parking lot was filled with animals rescue vehicles from all over the Midwest. It was really something to see the outpouring of love for all these animals. We're going to try and stop by tomorrow to help clean cages, walk dogs etc. They're estimating almost 1000 animals will be there by the end of the week. Even the number of birds at my feeders has increased. I had to go out an buy more bags of seed because they are snapping it up like you wouldn't believe. It's also been really something to see people helping each other. One business had sand bagged their sports bar only to realize that there was no way they could save the building. So they loaded up all their sandbags and helped place them around a competitors sports bar because it had a better chance of surviving. We were on our way out to help sandbag when we noticed our own basement was taking on water. So, a mad dash across town to get pumps etc which Lowe's had brought up from Texas in semi loads, and we managed to keep the water from doing more than soaking the carpet. So, while we're in between dropping off supplies to the animal shelters or running jugs of water to friends who are on water rationing, we''re trying to dry our own home out. I even managed to squeeze out a few frames for my UWOL entry. :) It's not going to be much at all but I said I'd enter something even if it was paint drying. Course, it might be carpet drying, you never know. :) The river crested here yesterday but the towns below us are just starting to flood badly. They say the river won't fall below flood stage now until Friday. Since I made my little video on our way to get supplies, the number of city blocks under water had jumped from 400+ to over 1300 city blocks. That's just Cedar Rapids. small towns all around are still totally under water. Other know it's coming and are trying to evacuate while they still can. My wife's old law office was all under water and a total loss. They are setting up offices in her current building to house as many attorney's as they can who need to set up an office while they are rebuilding. They may battle each other in the courts but when it comes to things like this, they band together because they know it could have just as easily been them. So, travel is still limited. To get to Iowa City, normally like a 30 mile trip requires a 281 mile detour because there are so many roads under water. So, that's kind of it at the moment. Sorry for the ramble but I've been running down to check the fans and dehumidifiers and forgot what I was going to say. :) Hopefully the worst is over. It rained enough today to they say the river will stop falling for a bit. More rain coming in tomorrow. Thank you again for all your kind words and encouragement. My wife and I have both been deeply touched by the caring and concern from my UWOL family. __________________ --==Kevin==-- http:naturephotostudios.com.com

June 15th, 2008, 12:53 PM	#15
Marj Atkins Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Johannesburg South Africa Posts: 768	Amazing stories you have to tell Kevin! Really wonderful to hear how kind and generous people are when disaster strikes. So glad to hear that your home wasn’t totally inundated by the flood waters - and that hopefully, as you say, the worst is over for you now. You are in our thoughts and prayers.