*Fifteen months after Little Sioux River flooding devastated portions of Spencer, Iowa, the city council continues making steps towards demolishing severely damaged homes.
Spencer City Council members in a Tuesday meeting approved a measure that designates the four most unsafe, substandard homes that were impacted by the flooding. Those homes will be removed via combined funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Iowa Homeland Security and the Iowa Economic Authority, per council memos.
About a dozen other homes could be in a second category that could also see them razed.
The city is still waiting on possible reimbursements of $5.5 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Two weeks ago, Spencer City Manager Kevin Robinson said the first FEMA reimbursement to the city of $450,000 will be received by early September.
Additionally, Lincoln Elementary School in Spencer held an open house on Wednesday. That school was damaged and had been repaired in time to start the 2025-26 year last week.
Heavy rains in Northwest Iowa and South Dakota in June 2024 delivered a wallop from rivers, driving people from homes and causing tens of millions in damage.
