Oakville Boat Tour 2008

Henry Marquard, chairman of the Environmental Protection Commission, Iowa DNR asked if I would set up a meeting with the mayors of Columbus Jct., Wapello, and Oakville and a tour of each city.
I told Henry the only way we could tour Oakville was by boat.  So, I called a person authorized by the levee commisson and the county sheriff to go into the area, Dave Shipman.  I thank Dave for allowing us to go with him. 
Rich Yotter, who operates the pumping station, went along also to view the station and his home at the pumping station site.  Dennis Ostwinkle staff person for the DNR Environmental Protection division out of the Washington, IA office went on the tour also.
All of us were in awe of the devastation in the Oakville area.  The Henry and Dennis said they would be offering assistance with clean up as soon as the water is down.
Thanks to Sam Willson, I now have some names to put with houses.  This house belong's to Wayne Gerst. 
Keep in mind that when we went on the boat tour, the water had already dropped appoximately 3 feet.  Look for the water line on some of the houses, especially Doug and Jane Boyers.

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Boat owner Dave Shipman on the left and Henry Marquard on the right.  Oakville bottom in the background.  No that's not a lake.  Again, thanks Dave for the trip.

Looking at trees on the inside of the Mississippi River levee East of Oakville.  The problem now is the water can't get out of the flooded ground.  The break in the levee was upstream along the Iowa River West of Oakville.
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Shipman Barn 6:20:08 Photo_062008_016 Ken Oakville Boat Tour 2008 Henry Oakville
Rich Yotter checking house Oakville House water down 3 ft 6:20 Hogs and Shed Oakville 6:20:08 Photo_062008_023
Rich Yotter getting out on porch roof to go into a second story window of his house.  Tom Young is on the right.

Most of the livestock was evacuated.  The hogs not evacuated either drowned or climbed on buildings or the levee for safety.  Go to my home page and click on the great PBS movie of Jeff Boyer's tour and his hog loss.  A moving story.

Oakville home Doug and Jane Boyer Photo_062008_026 Doug and Jane Boyer House

My niece, Jane and Doug Boyer' confinement building and farmstead.
Boyer confinement building.
My niece Jane and Doug Boyer's remodeled home East of Oakville. Note the high water mark on the house (dark area).
Yield by Boyer's Habitat House in Oakville Coming into Oakville from East House in Oakville 4
County Road East of Oakville with Yield sign.
This house belongs to Kirk Swanson.  Remember, the water had been three feet higher.
Coming into Oakville from the East on the road from the Ferry Boat Landing.
House North of downtown area.
Tim and Melissa Keen.  Water only in basement.
Fuel tanks float out of ground Oakville Trailers homes Tri-Oak Fire Station
Fuel tanks floated out of the ground at Tri-Oak.
Trailers on the NE side of Oakville.
Tri-Oak
Oakville Fire Station with one door caved in.
City Hall Oakville 2 Photo_062008_042 Photo_062008_043 Photo_062008_044
Oakville Community Center and City Hall









As I recall, this was Lois Yotter's home.  It floated off it's foundation and ended up 400 yds away from where it started. 

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Close up of Yotter's floating home.
I believe this fuzzy photo is where Lois Yotter's home was.