Better Prediction Sought for Devastating Floods Research on the
geophysical aspects of flooding could be key to developing new,
real-time flood warning and forecasting systems September 3,
2009 In the early 17th century, William Shakespeare wrote,
"Great floods have flown from simple sources." It turns out
Shakespeare's conclusion holds up: Scientists are now showing
that small streams may hold the secret to great floods. In June
2008, no one fully expected flood waters to reach the 500-year-
flood level in Iowa. The deluge overwhelmed streams and breeched
levees in populated areas such as Cedar Rapids and Iowa City,
where the Cedar and Iowa Rivers crested at unprecedented
heights. Thousands of residents were evacuated and 83 of Iowa's
99 counties were declared disaster areas. The University of Iowa
(UI), caught in the path of rising flood waters, suffered
hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. Despite the losses,
Witold Krajewski and his colleagues at UI gained a rare
opportunity to study the geophysical