>> reporter: much of iowa has been under attack by mother nature. nine inches of rain in just three days in some parts, including here in colfax, iowa. this area very hard hit in 1993. flooding hit the city in that year and after that they built a levee they thought would protect it, even after a record level, however that levee was topped this week and this is the result, extensive flooding in much of the city and many residents have had to evacuate. none of them given time even to pack or to sandbag. that has left them very concerned about property damage here, there is a lot of basement flooding and now even main floor flooding as that river continues to rise, rain is now move until and so this situation could get a lot worse both here and colfax and beyond. in ames, iowa, the city is still without drinking water after its water mains have broke and there's an extreme concern about contamination, people there are drinking from bottled water and they are hoping to get that fixed next week.