MEMORIAL DAY OBSERVANCE IN LEMARS
Communities throughout Plymouth County are preparing for Memorial Day observances. In Le Mars, American Legion Wasmer Post 241 will present the Memorial Day program. Over 1450 flags will be posted on the courthouse lawn. The Legion Post says the Legion Riders will place flags on veterans graves at Memorial Cemetery Saturday at 7-30 am. They ask for volunteers to help set flag anchors on the courthouse lawn at 8 am.
On Memorial Day, volunteers are asked to help place the flags, beginning at 6 am. A parade starts on the Boulevard at 9:15. The Memorial Day program begins at 10 am on the courthouse lawn. Volunteers are asked to help take down the flags at 4 pm. In the event of rain, the program will be held at the Le Mars Middle School Auditorium.
KLEM will broadcast live the program at 10 a.m., and we will Facebook live both the parade and Courthouse ceremony on the KLEM Facebook page.
DROUGHT MAP SHOWS IMPROVEMENT AGAIN
Continued rains across the state brought more improvement in the latest U-S Drought Monitor for Iowa. D-N-R Hydrologist Tim Hall says the two most severe categories of drought are no longer found on the map.
Nearly 67 percent of the state now has no form of drought, which compares to only three percent with no drought in January. Hall says the northeast part of the state is still the driest area, but it’s a lot better now.
Hall says his discussion with the state climatologist indicates we could see spring flip from record dry to record wet conditions this year.
The plentiful rain has had some farmers worried about finishing planting, and at times it leaves ponds of water in fields. Hall says he’s not worried about that at this point.
Hall says it’s good to see the groundwater and stream flows come back to normal for the first time in a long time. And he says June is normally the wettest month of the year, so the pattern is likely to continue.
TORNADO TRAVELED A MILE THROUGH GREENFIELD, IN ABOUT A MINUTE
National Weather Service survey teams have identified damage in Greenfield and southern Adair County indicating Tuesday’s tornado was an E-F-four — a thousand yard wide twister than was on the ground for 44 miles. It reach peak INTERNAL wind speeds of between 175 and 185 miles an hour. Donna Dubberke is the meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service in Des Moines.
The National Weather Service analysis has confirmed the tornado moved through northeast Adair County and then dissipated once it reached Madison County.
That central Iowa tornado was on the ground for 41 miles. Officials say it destroyed or caused major damage at least 26 homes in Polk County and 15 in Story County. Over 150 homes were destroyed in Greenfield and surrounding areas of Adair County. The governor submitted a request for federal disaster assistance for Adair, Polk, Story and Montgomery Counties Thursday.
Officials estimate there is at least 11 million dollars worth of damage from Tuesday’s tornadoes. Last week President Biden declared eight Iowa counties federal disaster areas for the storms that swept through a month ago and FEMA is operating temporary Disaster Recovery Centers in Minden and Harlan for residents affected by those April 26th events.
RED CROSS RECOVERY EFFORTS EXTEND WELL BEYOND GREENFIELD
There’s still no official tally on how many houses were damaged or destroyed in Greenfield by Tuesday’s massive tornado — easily dozens — and the community shelter set up in the town’s Nodaway Valley High School remains a very busy place. Emily Holley, spokeswoman for the Iowa chapter of the American Red Cross, says the agency is planning to keep that shelter open at least for several more days. While Greenfield saw the worst damage, that was one of at least six tornadoes in Iowa on Tuesday, while there are reports of hail, high winds or flash flooding in at least another 40 counties. Holley says the Red Cross is working with storm survivors all over the state, offering relief supplies like gloves and tarps, as well as spiritual care and mental health support.
IOWA NATIONAL GUARD AIDS 12 SOLDIERS IN OBTAINING U.S. CITIZENSHIP
The Iowa National Guard hosted a ceremony Thursday to honor 12 soldiers from 8 different countries in obtaining their U.S. Citizenship. Their service in the Iowa National Guard, provided a streamlined path to citizenship. At the ceremony, the Adjutant General delivered his Memorial Day address and commended members of the command team for their exceptional performance. The Command Retreat took place at the Camp Dodge Pool Pavilion Parade Field.
FLOODING MAY MAKE FOR A CHALLENGING HOLIDAY WEEKEND FOR IOWA BOATERS
All the recent rain has pushed up water levels in Iowa’s lakes, rivers and streams, flooding many waterways — with a busy boating holiday just ahead. Susan Stocker, the Iowa D-N-R’s boating law administrator and education coordinator, says Iowa has more than 211-thousand registered boats, and anyone who plans to get on the water over the next few days will need to be very careful. Debris that was on shorelines is now floating downstream, so Stocker urges boaters to be vigilant. She notes, a small branch sticking out of the water may be attached to a 40-foot tree. Stocker suggests you phone ahead to be sure the ramp you want to use is still open, given the high water.
