The City of Davenport is now making sure what happened in 2019 does not happen this year.
City officials took a closed tour Monday to see the final results of the HESCO barriers.

They say it took city workers 2 1/2 days to put the barriers into place. The barriers run from Bechtel Park down to Perry Street.

Davenport Mayor Mike Matson explains how a partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers was important for building the barriers.

“That was a partnership, so it’s bigger, it’s wider, it’s stronger, it’s connected better and the daily advice from the corps helped us do this, so we’re pretty confident in this holding fast to the predictions,” Matson said.

Members from the Army Corps of Engineers say they are closely tracking water levels, a critical role in helping with flood analysis.

“Everything that we see stays very closely linked with the National Weather Service to be able to anticipate how quickly and how high the water is going to rise,” Col. Jesse Curry said. “Here in this particular area we are expecting an additional 5 feet or so to reach crest and we’ll see that occur over the next week. We’re monitoring it very closely and maintain 24/7 communication with all those who need to know as the water continues to rise.”

City officials are asking for residents to check the city’s website often for updates on road closures, detours, and — most importantly — to avoid parking on side streets when possible.