Eve of Destruction

This is how a segment of the flooded Cedar River in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa looked shortly before noon on Wednesday, June 11, 2008. A corner of the Third Avenue bridge is seen at left foreground while City Hall and the Second Avenue bridge is at background right. The water level was around 20 feet at this time, heading for an unbelievable crest of 31.3 feet on June 13. The inundation caused widespread damage of homes and businesses in the city, covering about 10 square miles. Shortly after I took this photograph with a co-worker's camera, the Third Avenue bridge was closed and would become awash from the flood waters on the following day.