Dam Bursts in Iowa

Northeast Iowa has been getting pummeled with rain over the last few days, receiving as much as nine inches in some areas. The downpour proved too much for the Lake Delhi dam, which failed Saturday, sending a flash flood toward towns downstream. As many as 700 homes have been evacuated because of the water. The problems began when the highway running on top of the dam began to fracture. "Chunks of the two-lane highway broke off in 15- and 30-foot blocks and washed away. The iron guard rail snapped and flapped in the wind like a party streamer as the water rushed by," The Des Moines Register reported on its website. Jack Klaus, a spokesman with the Delaware County emergency management office, said that there was a great deal of damage to roads, and the county had run out of barricades to block them off.