Iowa National Guard remembers Iowa Floods of 1993

Credit: Staff Sgt. Tawny Kruse | Date Taken: 07/13/2023
From June 27 to August 7, the Iowa National Guard Emergency Operations Center conducted 24 hour flood support operations. Additional units from 5 other states were activated to support missions. On July 10, West Des Moines and Des Moines experienced severe flooding. Des Moines Waterworks was flooded out, causing a potable water shortage for over 250,000 residents. The National Guard purified and distributed potable water, placed thousands of sandbags, provided power and emergency goods, constructed temporary bridges and assisted state agencies in a variety of recovery efforts. At the peak of operations, over 2,000 Guardsmen were on duty across the state, with over 1,000 on duty in the Des Moines area alone. (U.S. Army National Guard video by Staff Sgt. Tawny Kruse/Photos courtesy of Iowa National Guard Public Affairs, Iowa Gold Star Military Museum)