Voluntary Evacuations Ordered For Downtown Des Moines
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Officials on Friday issued a voluntary evacuation order for much of downtown Des Moines and other areas bordering the river.
Officials recommended that downtown residents and businesses evacuate parts of downtown on either side of the Des Moines River by 6 p.m. Friday. Included are all areas in Des Moines’ 500-year floodplain.
The alert was prompted by rising river levels expected to peak at 8 p.m. Friday.
Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie says that they are asking for the evacuations “to err on the side of citizens and residents.”
The evacuation should begin immediately, Cownie says, and be completed by 6 p.m.
