It’s hard to believe its 15 years ago on July 11 when I went through the “Floods of ‘93” in Des Moines, Iowa.  It was the first time I have ever witnessed the teamwork and pride from people of all types coming together for ONE common goal, to STOP the rising waters.  I was doing my 7 to midnight airshift on 95 KGGO and I got a phone call from a Des Moines cop that turn out to be a lifelong friend.  Mike Moody called me a said that they were starting to sandbag down on Fluer Drive.  Fluer Drive is just outside the Des Moines Waterworks and everybody; I mean EVERYBODY was gathering down there to start sand bagging the water treatment plant for the city that was in imminent danger of being overcome by the Des Moines and Racoon Rivers, and we lost.   Anyway, they needed some music to get people motivated, so   I said that I would come down with the station van after I got off of the air at midnight.  I had no idea what was in store for me and everyone of us in Des Moines over the next two months.

To make a long story short, EVERYONE slept very little those two months, not to mention bathing, because we had No drinking water.  Working in the studio from 7p to midnight, then going down to sandbag and broadcast from Midnight to Noon the next day.  Everyone at GGO worked their butts off to try and keep everyone going.  We may have lost the battle in 93’ trying to stop the water from flowing into the water treatment plant, but we made damn sure that it wouldn’t happen again.  All of the sandbags we filled were dropped by helicopter to raise the levee around the Des Moines Waterworks plant, and would become part of the permanent levee system, and it paid off!

The 100 year flood is back in only 15 years and my friends are going through is again, but thank god, not to that same extent.

The Waterworks plant is holding its own, and the Valley Junction area is high and dry because of the new levee system installed after 93’.  Hard work does pay off, and everyone in Des Moines should be proud that they can raise a glass (of water) that the people of Des Moines can breathe a little easier in the Floods of 08’.

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