Heavy rains in Northwest Iowa and South Dakota on June 20-22 really delivered a wallop to such rivers as the Big Sioux and Little Sioux.
Siouxlanders had to deal with a variety of trying situations as rivers and lakes rose, with highways having several days of closures. Emergency management leaders in counties across the region worked to keep their communities safe.
In the initial days, people were flooded out of homes in such places as Correctionville, Spencer, Cherokee, Rock Valley, and Hawarden in Northwest Iowa, plus North Sioux City in South Dakota.
Then cleanup began, which was a very daunting task for people. Some people’s homes were a total loss, others lost wings of their houses or items in their basements were ruined. That sort of devastation also happened in businesses.
Not only neighbors have been helping, but also some government agencies are giving aid, both local and national.
One thing the Federal Emergency Agency has done is open a series of Disaster Recovery Centers in Siouxland.
At those centers, recovery specialists from FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration provide information on available services, explain assistance programs, and help survivors complete or check the status of their applications.
To get oversight of varying impacts in the area and where things stand two months in, we chat with the mayors of two towns impacted by flooding, with Craig Schmidt of Cherokee and Bob Scott of Sioux City, plus an expert from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Tiana Suber.
Click on the audio link above to hear the entire show.
*What's The Frequency, Episode 30.
