Iowa Mourns the Deaths of 4 Boy Scouts

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Scouts, Parents Reunited After Deadly Twister

Boy Scouts who survived a tornado that killed four fellow scouts at the Little Sioux Scout Ranch in Iowa have been reunited with their parents. Video by AP

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Devastating as the tornadoes were, Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management spokesman Brett Voorhees said far more state resources are consumed by the flooding.

Iowa City is experiencing a "500-year flood" because of water flowing out of the Coralville Reservoir. The city has been evacuated, and attempts to preserve infrastructure will probably be abandoned, Keeney said.

"This is a record or near-record flood throughout the state," Voorhees said. "We're seeing water levels four or five feet over previous records. This is a very serious challenge; we are determined to work with local responders and thousands of volunteers who have performed heroic activities in building sand walls and other steps to protect their communities."

Cedar Rapids was also severely affected.

"There was a levee breach during the night. They had to evacuate a Red Cross shelter; we've had multiple boat rescues; we're losing power grids like crazy," said Courtney Green, press secretary for Iowa Gov. Chet Culver (D), of the situation in Cedar Rapids midday yesterday. "The jail is under water; we had to move prisoners; the sheriff's office is underwater. The river is still rising; it's still raining; there's a traffic mess; streets are closed."

Voorhees said the state hopes to recover in several predicted dry days.

"In spite of that, we have a major bubble of water that's moving down the Cedar River," he said.

Yesterday, the National Weather Service posted flash-flood or flood advisories or warnings along most of the Mississippi River above Tennessee.

The city of Austin, Minn., was split in half, with all east-west arteries closed, as floodwaters rose at the rate of a foot an hour.