"A sprawling network of flood barricades erected in Iowa's second-largest city of Cedar Rapids largely succeeded in holding back water from the rain-swollen Cedar River, city officials said on Tuesday.

Around 5,800 homes and businesses were at risk of flooding in an evacuation zone along the river, as the city braced for what officials said could have been the second worst flood in the city's history.

Public Works Director Jen Winter said that the Cedar River, which winds its way through the city, had crested at just over 22 feet (7 m) on Tuesday morning and was receding."

Brendan O'Brien and Timothy Mclaughlin report for Reuters September 27, 2016. [2]