Davenport, Iowa Flood Cleanup Costs Reach $735,000

City officials say keeping the Mississippi River from causing extensive damage and cleaning up flooded areas has cost the city $735,000 so far.

The figure includes overtime for city workers who scrambled to build an earthen dike, fill sandbags and operate pumps. It also includes materials and cleanup costs, City Administrator Craig Malin said Friday.

He said the figure is just an estimate and all costs aren’t yet known.

Malin toured Credit Island, where golf course fairways, basketball courts, baseball diamonds and tennis courts are under water.

“The road needs to be fixed here and there, and there is a healthy collection of driftwood, but it’s not a major catastrophe,” he said. “The golf course is a comparatively modest expense, even in the worst case.”

The $735,000 in city flood costs is considerably less than damage caused by the 2001 flood, which cost the city $1.7 million.

Businesses and individuals with flooded basements and other property damage have incurred estimated costs of $510,000, Malin said.

The city will pass its damage estimates on to the Scott County Emergency Management coordinator, who will then forward the report to the state for potential federal reimbursement.

Dave Miller, the administrator of the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division, said federal disaster aid may not be on the way.

“Based on the preliminary information we’re receiving from county emergency managers, it seems unlikely that Scott County will qualify for federal assistance,” he said.

If necessary, the city can use its reserve funds, said Finance Director Alan Guard. The city maintains about $5.8 million in its general fund reserve for emergencies.

Source: Quad-City Times.