AP
June 20, 2008
OAKVILLE, Iowa - Neighbors helped neighbors push back the floodwaters seething toward tiny towns along the Mississippi River yesterday as President Bush began his first tour of the damage.
Bush was in Europe when the flooding began, but expressed deep concern. He arrived in Cedar Rapids yesterday to begin examining the damage.
In neighboring Illinois and Missouri, volunteers joined sandbagging operations in the frantic effort to contain the Mississippi. Forecasters predicted near-record crests from Quincy, Ill., to Winfield, Mo.
"There's one thing about Midwesterners," said Don Giltner, mayor of Louisiana, Mo. "We're resilient as hell. We're all worn out. We've put in a lot of long days."
Storms and flooding across six states this month have killed 24 people, injured 148 and caused more than $1.5 billion in estimated damage in Iowa alone.
