Cities in three states are preparing for the worst, as record floods are predicted later in the week as torrential rains move across the Upper Midwest at a rapid pace. In Iowa, South Dakota, and Nebraska, local officials are asking volunteers to build sandbag barriers and other barricades in advance of the worst of the storm. Emergency workers and local politicians are stating that their efforts may not be enough in some areas, because of just how much rain is being dumped across the region.

In South Dakota, emergency workers have begun turning Interstate 29 into a temporary levee. Officials are stating that this will mitigate the flood risk in many areas, but the Governor Dennis Daugaard said that he predicts that parts of North Sioux City (South Dakota) will be underwater completely by the end of this week.

The Big Sioux River, which flows beside North Sioux City, is predicted to shatter the previous record that was set in 1969 by about a foot on Friday. In Iowa, several communities have already flooded after between two to six inches of rain fell across parts of the state during the last several days. This is happening because the area itself is already wet and cannot soak into the ground, so any groundwater will just begin to rise.

In three of the counties the rainfall has overwhelmed the drinking water and sewage treatment plants. Near the border of Minnesota, officials have already ordered the evacuation of Rock Rapids Iowa after coming to the conclusion that the sandbag walls would just not hold up.

The Assistant Fire Chief in Sioux City states that “We’re right in the middle of what we call a flood fight, getting everything ready and getting stuff in order”.

Despite what could potentially happen from the upcoming storm system, some residents and local weather analysts are saying that this kind of extensive flooding has become more the rule than the exception for northern Iowa in recent years.

A research geologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources stated that rainfall data from Iowa shows increased annual precipitation occurring over the last century. Also, they show an increasing intensity of all rainfall events.

The US National Climate Assessment that was released by the White House this past may, was in accord with the research geologists study, stating that cities in Iowa have become much more vulnerable to major flooding during the past two decades. Many residents in northern Iowa have come up with their own solutions to the changing weather patterns. In the town of Chelsea, residents debated about moving to higher ground after the entire downtown area flooded repeatedly.

Luckily the area of Sioux City, which makes up most of Iowa’s major populous, is unlikely to face such a flooding disaster. Local officials are expecting that many areas of the city will be able to avoid flooding, including the neighborhood of Riverside which is located near the banks of the Big Sioux River.

The flooding should come to a halt by the end of the weekend, and that is when emergency crews and local volunteers can begin cleanup efforts.