Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds (center) is flanked by both Missouri Governor Mike Parson (left) and Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts (right). The three governors met with Army Corps of Engineers Officials To Discuss Flood Mitigation Strategy.
(Council Bluffs) — The governors of Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri are asking the Army Corps of Engineers to come up with more flood-prevention solutions.
The three governors and Army Corps officials met Wednesday afternoon in Council Bluffs and plan to meet again in three weeks. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds told reporters the Corps must prioritize “flood management and people.”
Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts (RICK-ehts) delivered the same message.
And Missouri Governor Mike Parson amplified the point.
Reynolds says the three governors are ready to lobby congress for changes in Army Corps regulations that have governed how the Missouri River levee system is managed.
Reynolds says the governors ask the Corps to ensure any temporary construction to repair damaged levees can be part of the permanent levee system.
Reynolds talked about both the short-term and the long term strategy.
Missouri’s governor suggests state officials should have “a more active role” in making the decisions about long-term river management. Travel difficulties prevented the governor of Kansas from attending yesterday’s (Wednesday’s) gathering and she plans to be part of the next meeting in three weeks.
(Photo courtesy of Ken Anderson)
