Authorities in Sioux City are advising citizens to stay away from the Riverside and Riverfront districts

Sioux City Fire Chief Tom Everett discussed the city’s potential flooding concerns with local media on Sunday night.

According to Chief Everett, starting on Sunday night, locals are asked to stay away from Riverside and the Riverfront in Sioux City. This is a result of the area experiencing flooding, which has caused water to seep onto parts of the roads.

Everett stated, “City workers have been in Riverside all weekend installing pumps, strengthening the area around our wells, and erecting HESCO barriers to extend our levee.”

To put the Big Sioux River’s current record of 37.7 feet in context, authorities report that as of 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, the river was at 44.25 feet. According to Everett’s most recent advisory from the National Weather Service, the Big Sioux is expected to reach 43.5 at approximately 1 a.m. on Monday. This indicates that the storm is expected to have crested and begin to decline.

The Missouri River is predicted to reach a crest on Monday at 7 a.m., rising to 31.1 feet—a level higher than the 30.2 feet recorded during the 2019 floods. However, it is less than the 35.2 feet that were measured during the 2011 floods.

Everett clarified during the press conference that the most recent information from the National Weather Service served as the basis for these forecasts. He continued by saying that a few of their forecasts had come true.

Everett stated, “A recurring theme we’ve seen today is that they have undervalued the estimates.” “They have called for crests at specific levels north of us, and those have been exceeded.” To give you an idea, we were clearly sheltered here six to seven feet over what was predicted, and we are seeing water in Riverside. We are limited to using their information and data.

Given how much the water is rising In the Sioux City region, a number of highways were closed on Sunday night. These include:

• The I-29 off-ramp for Hamilton Blvd.
• Park Drive Chris Larsen
• North Military Road leaving Riverside

  “If at all possible, please stay away from Riverside, as well as River Drive and the surrounding areas,” Everett stated. “Just stay away from the Riverfront entirely.”

  According to Everett, there is no need for residents of Riverside or any other community to evacuate. However, in case anything changes, he advises Riverside residents to stay tuned to social media and their local news sources for updates.

  Everett advised them to “be ready to leave their homes as necessary and stay tuned to the news and social media for updates.”

• On Sunday night, water reached the lawns of at least four Riverside homes, and the water overflowed into the surrounding streets. According to Everett, workers were putting water back into the river from nearby pumps. As a precaution, Everett advised Riverside homeowners to remove valuables from their basements.

  “We are trying our best to keep water out of basements, and city crews are placing pumps in low spots, especially in Riverside, to make sure the utilities can keep up,” Everett stated. “We are aware that the Riverside area’s utilities will be overloaded. If we are at crest, we should be able to at least maintain the current level of pumping effort.

  Residents have not been given access to sandbags, according to Everett, and this is because they think the Missouri River will begin to decline on Monday morning, and the Big Sioux River will begin to decline any moment.

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