Plymouth County Supervisor Chairman Don Kass Issues Disaster Declaration for Plymouth County
(Le Mars) — Due to the extensive flooding, Don Kass, the chairman of the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors has issued a declaration of disaster for Plymouth County. The declaration states: “Plymouth County has suffered from
a severe flooding incident that began on Thursday, March 14, 2019, causing severe damage to public and private property, disruption of utility services, and endangerment of health and safety of the citizens of Plymouth County, Iowa, within the disaster area. Therefore, as the chairman of the Plymouth
County Board of Supervisors, a declared state of emergency authorized under Iowa State Statute and will execute the expenditure of emergency funds from all available sources, the invoking of mutual aid agreements, and applying to
the State of Iowa for assistance.
Governor Reynolds Declares 21 Counties As Disaster Areas
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed an emergency disaster proclamation to allow state resources to be used to respond to flooding in portions of the state.
Reynolds also on Thursday activated the state emergency operations center to coordinate the response to flooding and help monitor rapidly-evolving conditions.
The National Weather Service has issued flood warnings and a wind advisory for Thursday afternoon and evening for portions of Iowa and says river flooding will continue through the weekend due to excessive runoff from recent rainfall and snow melt.
The governor’s action allows individuals in 21 counties in northern and western Iowa to qualify for grants for home or car repairs, replacement of clothing or food and temporary housing.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says it has closed all or part of nine state parks due to rising flood water. Plymouth County is not part of the 21 county declaration, however local officials believe the Governor will include Plymouth County as part of that declaration sometime today.
Area Communities Evacuate Due To Flooding
(Le Mars) — Several communities needed to evacuate due to the rising flood waters. Some residents living in Hinton on the east side of Highway 75 had to evacuate their homes yesterday and seek shelter at the Hinton Elementary School. Hinton was placing sandbags in the area to help protect some
properties. Another town that needed to evacuate was the Woodbury County town of Hornick. Woodbury County authorities say 100 percent of the residents of Hornick have been evacuated from their homes. The mayor of Hornick, ordered a mandatory evacuation of the town Thursday morning at 10:45 a.m. Woodbury County Emergency Management Coordinator Rebecca Socknat says water started coming into the town a short time later.
Emergency personnel from around the county headed to the rural low lying community to help with the evacuation. Socknat says roads surrounding the town quickly were covered by floodwaters and were closed.
Much of the water affecting Hornick was runoff from the nearby town of Moville, which also experienced some flooding. The mayor of Moville declared a state of emergency for the community, but Socknat says evacuations were limited.
Socknat says roads leading into Hornick are also closed to non-residents and onlookers are advised to avoid the area.
Le Mars City Waste Water Treatment Facility Still Able To Keep Up With Excess Water
(Le Mars) — With the rising flood waters, city officials are concerned about the waste water treatment facilities located west of town. Ron Kayser serves as the superintendent for the city’s waste water treatment facility. Kayser says flood waters have surrounded the waste water plant, but the facility is
still performing.
Kayser says the waste water treatment facility is handling nearly double the water input capacity from a normal day.
Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office Make Major Drug Bust
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Sheriff’s Deputies made a major drug bust arrest. On Saturday, the sheriff’s office received a call from a resident about a large amount of THC (synthetic marijuana) concentrate products that were found on the property. Plymouth County sheriff’s deputies responded to
the residence and found a large quantity of THC oil, wax, and other various concentrates. The items were commercially packaged and are believed to be from a legal marijuana dispensary from another state. More than 450 THC oil
cartridges and other various THC concentrates were seized. In total, the items are believed to have a retail value of over $20,000. As a result of the call, 25 year old Brady Burkhart of Sioux City was arrested. Burkhart was charged with possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver, a class D felony, failure to affix the proper tax stamp, a class D
felony, and the possession of drug paraphernalia a simple misdemeanor.
Burkhart was taken to the Plymouth County Jail. The investigation is ongoing at this time and other charges may be pending.
