Contributions tagged with "Iowa"

The Wapsipinicon Mill a historical landmark near Independence, Iowa, received extensive structural damage as a result of the June 2008 floods. The museum director gives a brief history of the museum, discusses the damage, the funding assistance this non-for-profit has received and the future repairs to the mill.

A playground called Miracle: The Parkersburg, Iowa May 25, 2008 tornado destroyed the swimming pool park playground. Two weeks later, two local citizens started a Rebuild the Playground Park Committee and began the process of soliciting funds from businesses and the private sector along with having the entire rebuild done by volunteers and adding a second park on the east side of town. Dedication of the new Miracle playground park will be on May 24.

Iowa City, Iowa - The Iowa City Animal Shelter was forced to seek a new location after the flood of 2008.They decided a mitigation project was not feasible and are now at a temporary location while they search for a new permanent site. FEMA provided funds for the move.

Iowa suffered devastating flooding during the summer months of 2008. The subsequent loss of housing in cities like Cedar Rapids caused a major crisis. This is the story of three residents who participated in a FEMA pilot program for assisting with that housing need.

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate visits on of the hardest hit areas of Cedar Rapids, IA. The tour was lead by City Councilman Chuck Wieneke who represents the historic Time Check Community. Cedar Rapids Mayor Kay Halloran, Iowa Governor Chet Culver, Congressman Dave Loebsack, Iowa Homeland Security's Dave Miller, Rebuild Iowa Director Lt General Ron Dardis and dozens of other dignitaries also participated in the tour. Administrator Fugate also talks with residents of the area and holds a press conference.

After watching the town he lives in get inundated with flood waters in the historic Iowa floods of 2008, Tom Watson of Palo, Iowa knows that you cannot stop the water from flowing. But with a little ingenuity, and some good old fashioned common sense, Watson and Palo officials have come up with ways so waters from swollen streams can be diverted or siphoned off to lessen the impact of future flooding and protect the citizens and business owners of Palo.

For years, residents of Palo, Iowa worried about heavy rains causing sewage to enter their basements. After the 2008 flood, FEMA funded projects in Palo that has mitigated the possibility of future flood damage.

The Waverly Shell Rock Community School was destroyed by the 2008 floods. To better prepare for future disasters, the school board was granted FEMA Hazard Mitigation funding to design their new auditorium as a certified safe room. The rebuilding of the school and the safe room was funded, in part, by a grant of 9.375 million dollars from FEMA.

All disasters begin locally and end locally. Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) can help a community make the best use of its resources in a disaster. The mission of a COAD is to organize and deploy resources, in an effective and timely manner, in response to the needs of disaster survivors. This is the story of FEMA's assistance to Iowa communities organizing their own COAD in the wake of the flooding of 2008.

All disasters begin locally and end locally. Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) can help a community make the best use of its resources in a disaster. The mission of a COAD is to organize and deploy resources, in an effective and timely manner, in response to the needs of disaster survivors. This is the story of FEMA's assistance to Iowa communities organizing their own COAD in the wake of the flooding of 2008.

In 2008, the Cedar River rose to 32 feet -- 20 feet above flood stage-- and tried to close the Iowa Theater Building for good. FEMA through its public assistance program obligated more than $4 million to the state of Iowa for replacements, restoration and repairs at the Iowa Theater Building.
The Iowa Theater re-opened Friday, Feb. 26, with the stage production of "The Producers".

This is a story of cooperation and teamwork. This teamwork between the city, the state and FEMA resulted in the city of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, revitalizing part of its city that also revitalized the community. The Jones Golf Course Clubhouse was damaged in the spring 2008 Iowa floods. The facility is owned and maintained by the City of Cedar Rapids. The damage completely closed the building and it required over a quarter million dollars in renovations. The damage to the building was eligible for the FEMA Public Assistance Grant Program.