Officials at the University of Iowa are meeting all day today and throughout the week to begin the arduous task of recovering from a flood that left 16 buildings immersed in up to eight feet of water (see photographs on the university’s Flooding Web page).

The officials won’t be able to go inside some of the buildings to assess the damage until the Iowa River drops, and that could take at least a week. The river appeared to crest at 31.5 feet on Sunday, but several buildings that have not yet taken on water remain vulnerable as the polluted, churning current continues to surge nearby. The Iowa River runs through the campus, and many buildings in low-lying areas, including the entire arts campus, are flooded.

University officials are urging people to stay away from the campus, and say they will hire restoration and reconstruction contractors to handle the eventual cleanup. They hope to resume summer-school classes on Monday, and are urging students to take public transportation because many roads will still be closed.

Power was restored today to several unflooded buildings that had lost it during the inundation. Linda Kettner, a spokeswoman for the university, said that despite valiant sandbagging by thousands of volunteers, there was nothing they could do to hold back the water that enveloped the arts campus.

“Once the water breached the dike, it was just unstoppable,” she said. Volunteers included members of the local Amish community working alongside prisoners on release programs, Iowa City residents, university employees, and students.

Sandbagging on other parts of the campus minimized flooding and will allow a faster recovery, officials said.

Sally K. Mason, the university’s president, praised the volunteers today. “They have met the worst challenge that Mother Nature could throw at us,” she said, “and they have done so with courage and conviction.” —Katherine Mangan