The Opinions In a Small Iowa Town, a Solution to a National Crisis
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May 1, 2026 
Jillian Weinberger, a New York Times Opinion producer and reporter who traveled to Riverdale, Iowa, profiles local flood-preparedness efforts. She explores a mayor’s tense decision during a storm, a low-cost Iowa gauge and predictive model that aided evacuations, and how a state system could be scaled as federal support retreats.
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Mayor's Midnight Flood Ordeal In Riverdale
- Riverdale mayor Anthony Hedleston faced a harrowing July night as heavy rain threatened Duck Creek and nearby homes.
- Hedleston monitored his small town's flood risk while sipping a brandy old-fashioned and watching alarms from his home weather station.
Low Cost Local Gauges Replace Federal Sensors
- Iowa Flood Center built a compact $7,500 gauge that measures creek height and posts predictive models online.
- The shoebox-sized sensor gives towns like Riverdale near-real-time data for a fraction of federal gauge costs.
Federal Gauge Removed After Deferred Resignation
- Hedleston discovered the federal Duck Creek gauge had been removed after its operator took a deferred resignation.
- Replacing the federal gauge would have cost Riverdale over $100,000, money the 550-person town didn't have.