Kingsley Begins Clean Up Process Following Wednesday Storm
(Kingsley) — The chore of picking up debris, and making repairs to buildings was the Thursday morning activity at Kingsley following a strong wind storm that damaged buildings and trees in the Plymouth County community. Kingsley saw damage mostly confined to the southern and southeastern portions of the community. Titan Machinery Company, a farm equipment dealer, suffered roof damage to a recently constructed metal building, and several homes within a new development addition on the southern edge of town also had sustained roof damage. Gary Mohr is the general manager of the Titan Machinery Company at Kingsley and describes the damage that occurred.
Mohr says the storm hit at about 5:30 p.m. Insulation from the damaged structure could be seen scattered throughout the area, as well as tin from the building was wrapped around trees located across the street to the north. In addition to the roof damage, Mohr says a large overhead door to the shop was damaged.
MidAmerican Energy was able to restore power to the town of Kingsley at around 11:00 p.m. Wednesday evening. Mohr says Titan Machinery Company was back conducting business early this morning.
Kingsley mayor, Rick Bohle says he is grateful the damage to his town was confined to a small area. Bohle says several other towns’ including Remsen, Pierson and Moville were quick to extend a helping hand if needed.
Bohle says the warning sirens had sounded giving the Kingsley residents time to seek shelter.
Governor Kim Reynolds today issued a proclamation of disaster to 43 counties impacted by Wednesday evening storm. However, Plymouth and Woodbury Counties are not a part of the 43 counties. Grants of up to $5,000 can be distributed to those families adversely affected by the storm. The funds can be used for home or car repairs, replacement of clothing or food, and temporary housing expenses.
Governor Reynolds Declares 43 Counties As Disaster Areas
DES MOINES – Today Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for 43 counties in response to Iowa’s Dec. 15 severe weather.
The governor’s proclamation allows state resources to be utilized to respond to and recover from the effects of this severe weather and activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program for qualifying residents, along with the Disaster Case Management Program, for the following counties: Allamakee, Appanoose, Audubon, Bremer, Buena Vista, Butler, Calhoun, Cass, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Davis, Fayette, Floyd, Greene, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Howard, Ida, Kossuth, Lucas, Madison, Marshall, Mills, Mitchell, Monroe, Montgomery, O’Brien, Page, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Sac, Shelby, Union, Washington, Webster, Winnebago, Winneshiek, Wright, and Worth.
The Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program provides grants of up to $5,000 for households with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Grants are available for home or car repairs, replacement of clothing or food, and temporary housing expenses. Original receipts are required for those seeking reimbursement for actual expenses related to storm recovery. The grant application and instructions are available on the Iowa Department of Human Services website at https://dhs.iowa.gov/disaster-assistance-programs. Potential applicants have 45 days from the date of the proclamation to submit a claim.
The Disaster Case Management Program addresses serious needs related to disaster-related hardship, injury, or adverse conditions. Disaster case managers work with clients to create a disaster recovery plan and provide guidance, advice, and referral to obtain a service or resource. There are no income eligibility requirements for this program; it closes 180 days from the date of the governor’s proclamation. For information on the Disaster Case Management Program, contact your local community action association or visit www.iowacommunityaction.org.
The proclamation also temporarily suspends regulatory provisions of the Iowa Code that pertain to procurement of goods and services, hours of service for disaster repair crews, and various requirements for the transportation of loads related to disaster repairs.
Residents of counties impacted by the recent severe weather are asked to report damage to help local and state officials better understand the damage sustained. Damage to property, roads, utilities and other storm-related information may be reported. This information will be collected by the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and shared with local emergency management agencies. Damage may be reported at www.homelandsecurity.iowa.gov.
Governor Kim Reynolds has declared 43 Iowa counties state disaster areas as a result of Wednesday’s storm.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we have a few more counties that we might add to that, but that’s a significant amount, really, when you think about how fast it moved through the state,” Reynolds says. “One fatality, so that’s always tragic, a semi that had overturned, but when you consider what’s taken place in the last couple of days with Kentucky and some of the other states and the severe potential of the storm, we’re pretty blessed.” The governor’s disaster declaration releases state resources, like D-O-T dump trucks, to assist with clean-up and low income Iowans may apply for disaster aid to cover expenses like ruined food and damaged appliances. Reynolds says the storm could be Iowa’s second derecho in 16 months.
“They’re still researching the storm to see if it actually raised to the level of derecho because of the speed of the winds and the breadth of it as well.”
There were 55 gusts of at least 75 miles-an-hour last night. That’s more than were recorded during the August, 2020 derecho. Reynolds says the forecast for yesterday’s storm — after the tornadoes last week that ravaged Kentucky and several other states — was worrisome.
“I had kind of a knot in my stomach all day. I would be lying if I didn’t say that,” Reynolds told reporters today. “The convergence of all of it was pretty scary, really, and people have been impacted and I don’t want to take this lightly, but we really lucked out. It could have been, you know, potentially a lot worse than it even was.” Reynolds says Iowans did a good job of responding to the warnings that severe weather would sweep into Iowa Wednesday afternoon and evening.
“We had schools and businesses that let out early, so we got a lot of the kids home and safe before it actually moved through the state,” Reynolds says, “so I think, all in all, unfortunately, we’re getting a little too much practice in knowing what we need to do to address severe weather events like this.” Reynolds says while damage assessments are still underway, she would be surprised if Iowa would qualify for a presidential disaster declaration. That’s because storm damage must be significant and widespread to qualify for that federal assistance.
Semi Driver Killed In Storm
(Benton County, IA) — One death is reported in eastern Iowa that’s attributed directly to the wind storm Wednesday. The Iowa State Patrol says strong winds flipped a semi into a ditch in Benton County along Highway 151. The driver of the truck was not wearing a seatbelt and died. The driver’s name is being withheld at this time. There have been no other reports of serious injuries or deaths reported with any of the severe thunderstorms and wind gusts.
Clean Up Underway From Massive Storm
(Johnston, IA) — There are dozens of reports of structural and tree damage due to the strong storms Wednesday National Weather Service Meteorologist Alex Krull, at the Johnston office, says there’s storm damage in all 99 Iowa counties. He says they know of at least five tornadoes — and each National Weather Service Office will be doing damage surveys to determine if the damage was caused by tornadoes or straight-line winds. More than 140-thousand homes were without power statewide at the peak of the storm. Utilities say it may be three days before all of the power is restored.
Storm Has Record Number of Wind Gusts
(Undated) –– The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center says the storm that tracked across the state Wednesday set a record for the most hurricane-force thunderstorm wind gusts in a day Hurricane-force wind gusts are 75 miles-an-hour or higher and there were 55 of those reported. The National Weather Service started tracking those types of gusts in 2004. The previous record happened back on August 10th, of 2020, during the derecho.
Use Of White Lights Approved For Contractors In Work Zones
(Ames, IA) — The Transportation Commission has approved rules to allow vehicles not owned and operated by the state to use flashing white warning lights in work zones. The D-O-T’s Dave Lorenzen, says state law governs the color of lights used to be sure things are consistent. He says the law was changed to allow the D-O-T vehicles to use the flashing white lights and the rule change expands that to non-D-O-T vehicles. He says the white lights will be used by the D-O-T on the back of special trailers towed in work zones to warn drivers they are getting into a dangerous situation. Lorenzen says the white lights will give contractors another tool to use to try and keep them safe.
Iowa Business Council Establishes Policy Priorities For 2022
DES MOINES – The Iowa Business Council (IBC) has identified its 2022 legislative agenda. During the organization’s final meeting of the year, IBC members voted to focus on issues such as competitive tax policy, workforce development, child care and housing.
“The Iowa Business Council is focused on efforts that will help us attract, retain and re-engage a talented workforce. We are facing the most acute worker shortage in a generation. Now is the time to make Iowa a national leader by acting on core issues that prevent people from participating in our economy,” explains IBC Chair Tim Yaggi. “We look forward to working with both the General Assembly and the Governor to advance these priority areas and ensure Iowa remains a competitive place to work, live, and raise a family,” he adds.
The Iowa Business Council 2022 state legislative agenda includes:
- Child Care: As the state continues to recover from the pandemic, access to high quality, affordable child care has never been more important to Iowa’s families and the economy. Iowa leads the nation with both parents working outside the home, yet there is a shortfall of more than 350,000 child care slots in our state. In an effort to address these shortfalls and ensure childcare availability is not an impediment to Iowans entering and remaining in the workforce, the IBC supports the recommendations of the Iowa Child Care Taskforce.
- Competitive Tax Policy: To continue to strengthen Iowa’s economic climate, the IBC will remain engaged in efforts that provide a simple, transparent, and stable tax structure. The IBC will support continued efforts in 2022 to make Iowa’s tax code more competitive for all taxpayers. Iowa’s corporate and individual tax rate indexes continuously rank in the bottom twelve nationally. By improving our standing on these key metrics, Iowa companies would be able to offer more competitive compensation and benefits that will drive the attraction and retention of critically needed talent.
- Housing: The availability of adequate workforce housing directly impacts the economic climate in Iowa’s communities. To fill the jobs that growing businesses create, adequate housing stock is necessary to attract and retain workers. As the state continues to recover from the economic consequences of the pandemic, housing is poised to be a vital catalyst for expanded economic growth and development.
- Workforce Development: The IBC supports innovative policies that lead to an increase in Iowa’s talent pipeline. We will continue to support investments in the Future Ready Iowa initiative and other work-based learning efforts within the K-12 system that helps develop and prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow.
As Iowa’s workforce continues to be limited across all industry sectors, the IBC also supports federal immigration reform and modernization as an effective tool to bolster economic development and expansion. Increasing caps, expediting processing and providing efficient opportunities to retain foreign born talent who were educated throughout Iowa’s higher educational system are all commonsense approaches that will enhance Iowa’s workforce and lay the foundation or future prosperity.
IBC Executive Director Joe Murphy notes, “Despite the fact that two-thirds of Iowa counties hit their population peak by 1950, our member companies continue to operate in all 99 counties. The inability to fill jobs due to the talent shortage will cause our economy to suffer. If we want employers to remain in our state, we must aggressively grow our population throughout Iowa. Immigration should play an important role in our future workforce strategies.”
The Iowa Business Council (IBC) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization whose 22 members are the chief decision makers of major Iowa employers. Employing over 172,000 Iowans, IBC member companies have invested billions of dollars of capital in Iowa’s commercial infrastructure; lead the way in technology innovation, R&D, and grants procured; and are often the driving financial and volunteer forces behind philanthropic efforts all over the state. IBC member companies include: Ruan Transportation Management Systems; Vermeer Corporation; Iowa Bankers Association; Alliant Energy; Casey’s General Stores, Inc.; Collins Aerospace; Corteva Agriscience; Deere & Company; Fareway; HNI Corporation; Hy-Vee, Inc., Kent Corporation; Mercy Health Network; Meredith Corporation; MidAmerican Energy Company; Pella Corporation; Principal; The Weitz Company; The University of Iowa Health Care; UnityPoint Health; Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Iowa; and Wells Enterprises, Inc.
Trash/Recycle Schedule Magnets Now Available At City Hall
(Le Mars) — The city of Le Mars now has available the 2022 trash/recycle schedule. The schedule is in the form of a magnet, and can be picked up at the Le Mars City Hall.
