Officials say massive rain and floods caused water to go over the Lake Delhi dam, causing a breach. The National Weather Service reports a 30-foot wide gap at the dam.
Evacuation sirens sounded this afternoon for hundreds of residents who only had minutes to get out. But one homeowner said he's taking the disaster in stride. "We're going to sit back and watch it come. We can't do anything about it. You know, good Lord willing, everyone will be able to get out of the way, but there's going to be a lot of people -- a lot worse shape than we are."
Residents downstream from the dam worked feverishly to fill sandbags to protect their homes from flooding.
The dam is about 45-miles north of Cedar Rapids. Officials from department of natural resources last inspected the dam in May of 2009. At that time, only minor repairs were ordered.
