Aftermath of New Hartford Flood

The recent flooding in New Hartford, IA devastated the Elizabeth Rasmussen Martin Memorial Library. Several feet of silt laden waters have destroyed most of the collection and rendered the rest unusable. It looks as if the interior will have to be gutted and rebuilt before services can resume.

Cherie and I drove through New Hartford this afternoon and the level of destruction is unprecedented. The floods of 1947, 1961, 1993, and 1999, while terrible, did not do near the damage of the recent disaster. The community will be hard pressed to recover--though I heard lots pumps running and people were working hard.

c 2008 Waterloo Public Library