If states fully commit to the idea, they could build a flood warning system like the Iowa Flood Information System, which is considered one of the best in the country. After a record-breaking 2008 flood, the state legislature set aside about $1.2 million a year for the University of Iowa to develop a statewide flood monitoring system. University scientists deployed nearly 300 low-cost stream and river gauges on unwatched waterways. They combined those observations with USGS river gauges, radar data on rainfall and local hydrologic models that predict how water will move through Iowa’s soil, streams and cement. Eventually, they created an online map that gives visitors a real-time look at water levels in rivers across the state and forecasts for future flooding that update every few minutes.

What started as a rise in river levels quickly escalated into a record-breaking flood that devastated Spencer, Iowa. The Little Sioux River surged far beyond forecast, putting the city’s infrastructure, leadership, and resilience to the ultimate test. The City of Spencer had prepared for a 17-and-a-half-foot river crest. Something the city had seen many times before.