WATERLOO - One-third of the Union Pacific railroad bridge parallel to Sixth Street over the Cedar River in downtown Waterloo has washed away in the flood waters.

The third of the bridge adjacent to the east bank of the Cedar River washed away at 2:45 p.m.

Roger Verch saw the bridge section give way.

"We were actually standing on the 18th Street Bridge" downstream when it gave way. It struck the 18th Street Bridge. " We really felt the vibrations," Verch said. A portion of it remained lodged in the 18th Street Bridge and another portion of it washed down river.

The bridge is used by the Iowa Northern Railroad to serve John Deere's East Donald Street Tractor Works, and Deere tractors are transported by rail over that line to Cedar Rapids.

Iowa Northern general manager Mark Sabin said the railroad is assessing the flood's impacts all along its line and hand not had not yet had an opportunity to assess the effects of the bridge washout.

We will provide more details as they become available.

Also, the city of Cedar Falls has now expanded its area of evacuation. The mayor has ordered an immediate evacuation of everyone in the following areas:

- On Franklin Street from Sixth Street to the north; on Sixth Street to the east toward Main Street; on Main Street from Ninth Street to the north; and all downtown areas from those streets toward the river.

Unauthorized vehicles will be removed beginning at 3 p.m.

People who are evacuating are urged to turn off their power, utilities, water and gas. Security will be provided for the area to safeguard property by the Cedar Falls Police Department and the National Guard.

Volunteers may remain in this area if they are assisting with the sandbagging efforts. Volunteers will be needed throughout the night. It cannot be emphasized enough that volunteers are needed and must report to the north parking lot of the UNI-Dome to assist with sandbagging. Volunteers must not travel downtown or go near the levy. Transportation will be provided to volunteers.

EARLIER STORY

Businesses in downtown Waterloo were struggling to hold back the waters - with some success - as the Cedar River was spilling over the flood wall that protects rivers lining the riverbanks Tuesday.

"Right now, we're cleaning up some groundwater," said Vern Nelson, owner of the River Plaza and Black's buildings downtown. "We're doing what we can to prevent any more damage."

The River Plaza building hadn't had some water seepage, but it was under control at midday Tuesday, Nelson said.

"We haven't had very much - some groundwater coming up - but it's continuous," Nelson said. "Just carpets are damp and maybe an inch of water."

Donna Nelson, Vernon Nelson's wife and co-owner of the properties, said any problems that existed in either the River Plaza and the Black's Building, were manageable.

"We're coping pretty good in our buildings," Donna Nelson said. "But we have relocated some Cedar Falls businesses into our buildings."

The couple also own the Gasser Building and Winter Bottom.

"We're having a little groundwater over at River Plaza," Donna Nelson said. "The city has walls in front of River Plaza, and I believe they're another 10 feet high.

She praised the city officials' response to the deluge.

"The city has been really good," she said. "They've been in constant contact. I've got hundreds of calls from our tenants and, of course, they're nervous. But the city has been very good at keeping us updated. Some our people are parking at ground levels. The city has been very kind to let them relocate.

She said three Cedar Falls businesses had moved temporarily into the River Plaza.

Vern Nelson said seepage through the River Plaza's basement floor has been the primary problem there.

"It's not coming through the walls," Nelson said.

A plan of action, should the situation deteriorate, was being devised Tuesday afternoon, Nelson said.

"We're deciding on what we're going to do, whether we're going to stay open," he said. "We have two rooms - a free weight room and a cafe - that have water in them that we've closed down. Half the athletic club is open."

The hope is to reopen as soon as officials give the go-ahead, he said.

"We hope to do that immediately," he said.

Diane Graham, administrative assistant for Main Street Waterloo, said the downtown-based organization was still dry at noon.

"I'm a little nervous, but so far, so good," she said. "Even the basement is dry at this point. It's all dry on Fourth Street."

Gene Leonhart, chief executive officer of Cardinal Construction, said the Waterloo Building, which houses his company, had some seepage.

"We're fortunate that our building hasn't taken on any more water than it has," he said. "Our basement that has the boilers has a deep sump, and we're able to keep ahead of it."

The company's inventory of sump pumps had long since been depleted.

"We had calls for pumps, but those are long since dispersed."

The company was continuing to function, however, Leonhart said.

"We're functioning, and the building is functioning," he said. "Given what the city has to do with the sewers and water, it's a concern here, since we're only one block away from the river."

Traffic downtown was bottled up. Police officers directing snarled traffic around the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center, which was hosting the Heartland Conference 2008, a medical-supply convention that was expecting an estimated 1,000 attendees, said at noon that getting out of downtown would be a 20-minute ordeal.

"It's a busy day downtown," said Jim Walsh, CEO of VGM Group, owns several properties downtown and whose company is attending the convention. "In addition to the concerns we have about floodwater both direct and indirect, we also have staff and traffic issues. Many employees have floodwaters in their houses, and we're trying to help them as much as we can. I know a number of businesses have sent their people home and moving things out of their homes."

Walsh said the convention was proceeding as scheduled, with a couple of small exceptions.

"We did have to relocate our major social event from the Electric Park Ballroom (near the Cattle Congress) to UNI," he said.

There's only so much downtown merchants can do, Walsh said.

"If the levees are topped, of course, it's game over, as far as anything but life safety," he said. "Right now, the plan is to get things out of lower levels that can be moved and cut losses from any basement flooding.

"There's quite a bit of consternation."

Walsh said his properties were in acceptable shape - for the moment.

"We don't have much more than seepage right now," he said. "We have stopped all the elevators at upper floors, so nobody is using any elevators in the downtown buildings. Of course, we're trying to get our people out of the offices, which is hard. We have some people helping with the work, and it is a business day."

Leonhart said he had never seen this type of flooding.

"Not even in '93," he said. "I never saw this, not since the dikes were built," he said.

A pickup truck at Fifth and Commercial tried to ply its way through flowing down Fifth with its wheels half-submerged.

"There's quite a bit of consternation," Walsh said.

Contact Jim Offner @ (319) 291-1598 or jim.offner@wcfcourier.com