Story highlights More than 10,000 residents have evacuated

Iowa's National Guard has deployed more than 400 soldiers

(CNN) Temporary barriers appeared to prevent serious flooding Tuesday in Iowa's second-largest city, but officials are warning thousands of evacuated Cedar Rapids residents to stay away for a couple more days.

"It's not time yet to go back to life as usual, but we're getting close," City Manager Jeff Pomeranz told reporters late Tuesday morning after the Cedar River crested there just above 22 feet -- 6 feet above what is considered major flood stage

"It's not over yet, but we're feeling very good ... that this temporary system that we built" will protect the city of more than 120,000 people, Pomeranz said.

Rising waters of rivers and creeks have flooded low-lying fields and properties in parts of eastern Iowa for days, and officials in Cedar Rapids urged about 10,000 people to leave their homes and businesses in the city ahead of Tuesday's crest.

Parts of Iowa faced flood warnings this week after heavy rains hit the state.

The spillover of the Cedar River, the worst Cedar Rapids has witnessed since 2008, comes on the heels of a fatal Wisconsin flood after heavy rains hit the area last week.

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