Iowa Flood Center

Thanks to the Iowa Legislature’s leadership and foresight in creating the Iowa Flood Center (IFC) in 2009, Iowans have access to the latest technology and resources to help them prepare for floods and become more resilient to their effects. The center’s outward-facing philosophy focuses on providing direct services to benefit the people of Iowa. The IFC is actively engaged in flood-related projects that help Iowans understand their flood risks and make better flood-related decisions. The IFC puts science-based information and technology in the hands of Iowa’s decision-makers, emergency managers, home- and business-owners, and the general public. Our work is accessible to everyone through the online Iowa Flood Information System (IFIS). IFIS is a user-friendly, interactive web application that allows anyone access to flood information, including current stream and river level data, weather conditions, and flood alerts and forecasts for more than 1,000 Iowa communities. The application is based on an easy-to-use Google Maps interface that displays up-to-the-minute community specific flood information. Individuals can access IFIS by visiting http://ifis.iowafloodcenter.org. The IFC is part of the University of Iowa College of Engineering. IFC researchers, staff, and students strive to develop the most advanced tools and projects to improve Iowa‘s flood preparedness and resiliency, and to reduce future flooding.