Most northwest Iowa roads open as harvest approaches

Northwest Iowa farmers will see limited travel disruptions this harvest season, despite historic summer flooding, thanks to the efforts of county crews who have repaired washed out roads, damaged culverts and bridges across multiple Iowa counties in the flood zone.

The region sustained millions of dollars in road damage after record rainfall fell across two to three days in late June. Approximately 15 inches of rain were documented over the June 20-23 weekend, causing overflowing rivers and dam and levy breaches that overwhelmed communities downstream.

Iowa's rural areas were impacted significantly with flooded fields, washed out fences and damaged county roads and bridges. Among the areas hardest hit were Lyon, Osceola, Dickinson, Sioux, O'Brien, Clay, Plymouth, Cherokee, Emmet and Palo Alto counties.

Three months later,...