Major flood events occurred in Iowa in 1851 , 1892 , 1965 , 1993 , 2008 . The Great flood of 1851 hit all of Iowa , and almost destroyed the nascent town of Des Moines . " The Des Moines and Raccoon rivers rose to an unprecedented height , inundating the entire country east of the Des Moines river . Crops were utterly destroyed , houses and fences swept away . " After the town of Dudley was destroyed , survivors moved to higher ground and founded Carlisle . The flood of 1851 produced record levels on the Iowa River at Iowa City and the Cedar River at Cedar Rapids that stood until the Iowa flood of 2008 . The flash flood of 1892 destroyed much of Sioux City . The Flood of 1965 affected eastern Iowa , from Cedar Rapids to Dubuque , with cities along the Mississippi hardest hit . The 1993 floods were widespread across the upper Midwest , causing extensive damage to Coralville and Iowa City
Iowa flood of 2008
Iowa flood of 2008
Environment of Iowa