Bishop Scarfe [of Iowa] said some Episcopal churches were reporting water in their basements, but otherwise no damage, but the same cannot be said for businesses and property owned by Episcopalians. As of last Friday afternoon all of downtown Des Moines was under a voluntary evacuation order. As a precaution, staff at St. Paul’s Cathedral were encouraged to leave early. The cathedral is located about four blocks from the Des Moines River.
The Cedar River has come within a block of Grace Church, Cedar Rapids, but the church is located on a bluff and should remain dry. In addition to Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, the communities of Cedar Falls, Mason City, Ottumwa, and Waverly suffered significant flooding and destruction.
The Rev. Pat Genereux, rector of ChristChurch, Burlington, is coordinating information and relief efforts for the Diocese and the Iowa Interfaith Relief Council. Bishop Scarfe has established a crisis relief fund.
Many of the larger communities in the Diocese of Quincy are under state of emergency or flood warnings. Christ Church, Moline, is only about four blocks from the Mississippi River. St. John’s Quincy, the mother church of the diocese, is seven blocks from the Mississippi River. St. Andrew the Apostle in the see city of Peoria is only two blocks from Peoria Lake, swollen by the Illinois River. On June 14, Bishop Keith Ackerman of Quincy reported no damage to any churches, but many members of those and other congregations have sustained significant losses, he said. The Rev. Phil Fleming, deacon, is coordinating disaster relief efforts for Quincy, Bishop Ackerman added.