River communities that bookend Iowa are preparing to face two threats this spring: the novel coronavirus and flooding.

Outlooks call for flooding in the coming weeks and months along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, adding another layer of uncertainty to the fight against the coronavirus should residents need to evacuate to emergency shelters. The National Weather Service issued flood warnings for sections along both rivers in Iowa on Thursday as forecasts called for heavy rain.

The Mississippi and Missouri experienced historic flooding last year, and some towns along the Missouri River are still partially evacuated while residents await federal buyouts and other state help.

In a conference call Thursday, mayors of Mississippi River communities from Minnesota to Louisiana said they were preparing to fight both threats, ordering more personal protective equipment for their first responders, staying in contact with federal agencies that would help during a flood, and simulating emergency situations requiring the activation of shelters that would meet guidelines for social distancing.

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"We're working to manage both challenges — limiting contagion and addressing the effects of other disasters such as tornadoes, flooding and storms," said Mayor Sharon Weston Broome of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who serves as co-chair of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative.

In Iowa, those conversations are starting on the Missouri River side, said Mike Crecelius, emergency management director in Fremont County.

"If the river gets up to where we have to do some evacuations and do a shelter, there's going to be some extenuating circumstances because you're not supposed to have (more than) 10 people in one place," Crecelius said. "I'm down here in the southwest corner of the state where we don't have a whole lot of facilities we can use."

As of Thursday, cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, had been reported in Harrison and Pottawattamie counties, along the Missouri River, and Allamakee, Dubuque and Muscatine counties along the Mississippi River.

With storms in the forecast, officials on both sides of the state were thinking about the growing risks.

The Mississippi River from Davenport south to Burlington is under a flood warning "until further notice," the National Weather Service said. River levels are expected to rise above flood stage on Sunday, with minor flooding in low-lying areas expected.

The Missouri River in southwest Iowa is expected to reach minor flood stage Sunday, 3 feet below river levels that would trigger careful watch by Crecelius' team.

"It might give the repaired levees a bit of a test drive, so to speak," Crecelius said. "I'm hoping (the river) goes down."

Although officials' immediate fears of flooding remain low, the extended outlooks for both rivers call for flooding this spring.

There is a more than 50% chance of major flooding from Dubuque to Burlington and a more than 50% chance of moderate flooding from Keokuk to St. Louis, according to the latest North Central River Forecast Center hydrologic outlook.

On the Missouri River, "it is a near certainty the river will exceed flood stage," with a 40% chance of exceeding moderate flood stage, the latest outlook says.

Bob Gallagher, mayor of Bettendorf and co-chair of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative, said emergency management officials across all departments are meeting daily to address coronavirus concerns and the potential for flooding.

City officials filled sandbags — using machines and following virus protection protocol — and delivered them to vulnerable homes and businesses along the river, Gallagher said. Bettendorf officials also were taking stock of their personal protective equipment "to determine how many days it will last" and asking the federal government for more as needed, he said.

In addition, he said, he is having continuing conversations with the Red Cross, which would operate any emergency shelters, about providing temporary living space while adhering to social distancing standards. If needed, shelters would screen for the coronavirus as residents enter and maintain secure ingress and egress from the building, he said.

Authorities also have considered how volunteers would work together from a safe distance, should they be called upon for a flood fight, he said.

"The good news is that all of our partners are ready," Gallagher said. "… It's an all-hands-on-deck, cooperative effort."

Crecelius, the emergency management director for Fremont County, said he is worried there is not enough personal protective equipment should shelters be needed.

He is working with the Red Cross to make a plan should the situation arise, though there are fewer people in his county who would actually need to evacuate this year because only a handful have moved back since the 2019 floods; others are waiting on buyouts.

"I'm just praying we don't need it," Crecelius said.

He has been told to expect flooding this year — though it shouldn't reach the historic levels of 2019.

That's difficult to predict, however. Although the Missouri River levees are repaired, they're not back to their pre-flood conditions.

And the Mississippi River mayors on Thursday said regardless of flooding, they're worried about the economic impact of the coronavirus as businesses along the river and elsewhere shut down.

"This is a continually adapting, changing situation as we go through the flood season. We have taken a lot of steps to be prepared and to add more procedures, protocol and capacity than we typically would because of the virus," said Colin Wellenkamp, executive director of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative. "Those steps are paying off … but the long-term impacts are a little unknown."

Kim Norvell covers growth and development for the Register. Reach her at knorvell@dmreg.com or 515-284-8259. Follow her on Twitter @KimNorvellDMR.

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