COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Iowa has activated its emergency operations center in response to flooding along the Missouri River in western Iowa. The Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management announced the center’s opening today (Friday). It will be staffed from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Terry Branstad will travel to western Iowa to view flood-fighting efforts as the Missouri River swells. Branstad is scheduled to meet this (Friday) afternoon with workers filling sandbags in Council Bluffs. A news conference will follow to discuss the flood situation.

The governor has canceled an aerial tour of western Iowa counties because of weather. It was to have preceded his stops in Council Bluffs.

The Missouri River is rising rapidly because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is increasing the amount of water it releases from upstream reservoirs to deal with heavy spring rains and snowpack.

The river is expected to crest 5 to 7 feet above flood stage in Iowa and Nebraska next week, but the water will remain high until at least August.

The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce is inviting the public to attend a planning session with members of the Iowa Architectural Foundation (IAF) on Friday, June 17^th at 4 p.m., at the Historic Rock Island Depot. The Iowa Architectural Foundation is currently facilitating a Community Design Program for the Atlantic area that focuses on the entrance corridors, signage, and directional signage located within the community. 

Ann McCurdy, Executive Director of the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, says they started on this project last year, and saw the results of the program in communities like Avoca. McCurdy says they are “Excited at the opportunity to bring it to Atlantic to address some of our unique challenges.”

Initially, the Chamber saw it as a great opportunity to bring in experts to Atlantic to have them look at our entry ways and the lot in question at 7th and Olive. McCurdy says “While we’re excited to move forward with plans for 7th and Olive, the Chamber wanted to ensure that we, as a city, were creating a plan for all of Atlantic in terms of signage and design standards.” She says they didn’t want it to turn into something that just happened ”By piecemeal,” and working through the Community Design Program gives officials access to experts who can provide a framework and a phased plan of how the project can move forward successfully.

During the session, members of the IAF team will talk with residents about their design preferences as well as hearing first-hand their ideas and reflections about the community. Light refreshments will be available. For planning purposes, the Chamber asks that you RSVP by calling 243-3017.

The Community Design Program assists communities by providing a very open and public decision-making process that brings civic groups, elected officials, and concerned citizens together with design professionals to visualize solutions for community betterment. Founded in 1989, the Iowa Architectural Foundation (IAF) is a charitable organization that promotes awareness and appreciation of architecture and design.

The Coca-Cola Days Committee of the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce has announced that the 2011 “Coca-Cola Days” t-shirt is now available. The theme for this year’s event is “Celebrate with Coca-Cola: 125 Years of Fun!” The shirts are black and available in both long and short sleeves.

Short sleeves are $16 and long sleeves are $22, and prices include tax. Ann McCurdy, Executive Director of the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, says “The design this year has a more vintage feel, which goes along well with the 125th anniversary of Coca-Cola.” The 2011 brochure and raffle tickets for a one-of-a-kind Diet Coke machine will both be available by the end of the month. 

Coca-Cola Days is held annually on the 4th weekend of September, making it September 23-24 this year. The event draws collectors from across the country to Atlantic to show, swap and sell memorabilia. The event also includes a tailgate dinner and parade.

For more information about Coca-Cola Days, please contact the Chamber at

243.3017.

Iowa’s largest utility says it is -not- switching off the lights in one of the state’s smallest towns, left nearly vacant after many residents fled approaching flood waters. Tina Potthoff, spokeswoman for MidAmerican Energy, says she wants to separate fact from fiction as the Missouri River rises and swallows up more acres in southwest Iowa.

“There’s been a lot of rumors circulating that we are shutting off power,” Potthoff says. “That is not the case. We are monitoring the situation on an hourly and daily basis. At this time, we do not have plans to shut off the power in Hamburg.” Potthoff says MidAmerican will only cut off the electricity in certain cases — at the request of the customer, if the utility determines the situation is hazardous or if city or emergency officials make the request.

(Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)

BLAIR, Neb. (AP) – The Missouri River is now expected to rise 2-feet higher at Blair, Neb., than experts predicted previously. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it revised its prediction for the river near Blair because of new information it received about how fast the water is moving at that point.

The Corps now says the river will rise to between 32 and 34 feet next week after releases from Gavins Point Dam increase to 150,000 cubic feet per second. The river at Blair was already at 30.16 feet Friday. That’s well above the flood stage of 26.5 feet.

The Corps says the gauge at Blair doesn’t collect data on the flow rate, so a team was sent out to collect that. This adjustment doesn’t affect other locations on the river.