We are at the one-year anniversary of a huge natural disaster that changed the arc of summer 2024 for so many people.
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 were helping out but also some government agencies gave aid, both local and national.
One thing the Federal Emergency Agency did was open a series of Disaster Recovery Centers in Siouxland.
And now, the recovery continues at the one-year mark. On June 10, a week ago, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds came to Rock Valley, for a ribbon cutting on a housing development where some flood victims are already moving in.
Spencer in Clay County, Iowa, was also hard hit by flooding.
That is where I visited to talk with town residents and also government officials about how the last year has played out, from the worst of the Little Sioux River flooding brunt, to the initial days of recovery once the river receded, and then the pursuit of intermediate and longer range work, which will continue past the one-year flooding anniversary on June 20.
Resident Karen Ulveling said basement repairs to her home near Fifth street are still not done. Ulveling also said she has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when thinking about the flood, as she also survived a tornado strike in Marshalltown, Iowa.
Also looking back and looking forward were two people I met at Spencer City Hall, with Spencer City Manager Kevin Robinson and Clay County Emergency Management Coordinator Eric Tigges.
Their memories are strong on the initial onslaught of the flooding, how hundreds of people escaped homes via boat rescues after the highest historical recorded levels of the Little Sioux River in Spencer.
There is $12 million in damage claims that have been seen in Spencer, and a long range flooding organization is in place to keep handling details.
When it comes to more modern ways to address potential future floods, Robinson said there are new methods to better monitor upstream river levels, which can feed into a new mobile device application to reach people.
*Click on the audio link above to hear the entire show.
What's The Frequency, Episode 68.
