(DES MOINES) – The Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division (HSEMD) will be conducting joint damage assessments with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and local officials as a result of flooding which began on May 25, 2011.

Teams will conduct joint preliminary damage assessments (PDAs) beginning June 16 for the federal Public Assistance program. The teams conducting the PDAs will be comprised of representatives from state, local and federal governments.

Public Assistance joint PDA teams will review damage in six counties along the Missouri River: Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Pottawattamie and Woodbury. The Public Assistance program provides to public entities and select nonprofit agencies funding to rebuild damaged infrastructure that may include roads, bridges, culverts,
and other public facilities; or to cover costs of emergency protective measures such as construction of temporary levees, berms, dikes, and sandbagging; pumping of trapped floodwaters that threaten improved property; emergency medical services; activation of a State or local emergency operations center; and emergency
evacuations of medical and custodial care facilities.

Data from the joint PDAs could be used by Governor Branstad to request a Presidential Disaster Declaration, which, if granted, would make Public Assistance funding available in the designated counties. In order to request a Presidential Disaster Declaration, damages incurred must meet criteria set by the federal government.

“We need to do what we can to help these communities now, so they won’t have to wait months for any possible federal assistance,” said HSEMD Administrator J. Derek Hill. The Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division is responsible for the coordination of State disaster response and recovery activities. HSEMD has staffed the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) since June 1, 2011. As of June 10, the
SEOC has also been staffed by personnel from the Iowa National Guard, the State departments of Human Services, Public Safety, Transportation, Natural Resources, and other agencies as appropriate.

For further information on the disaster process and the current situation in Western Iowa, visit http://www.iowahomelandsecurity.org

I-29 in Fremont County near Hamburg: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is extending a flood barrier in this area that includes a portion of I-29. The right lane of northbound I-29 is closed for a half-mile section while work on the barrier wall is underway.

Iowa 333 in Hamburg: Iowa 333 is closed from I-29 into Hamburg. Access to Hamburg is currently available via U.S. 275.

I-29 near Hamburg in Fremont County: A full breach in the levee in Atchison County, Mo., occurred Monday. I-29 is expected to become inundated with flood waters in the next 24-48 hours.

The Lake Manawa State Park campground has been closed through August due to safety concerns that the levee holding the Missouri River back will not withstand the pressure over the expected eight weeks of flooding.  The park will remain open for day use until there is direct evidence the levee will not hold. Kevin Szcodronski, chief of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources State Parks Bureau says “If the levee were to breech, there would be little time to evacuate the campers so we decided to take the cautious approach and close the campground,” said.  

Szcodronski said the DNR is in the process of notifying campers holding the 125 reservations at Lake Manawa with arrivals between Tuesday and Aug. 31 of its closure and refunding their money.  Lake Manawa has 36 electric and 35 non electric campsites. Lake Manawa is the third state park that will be impacted by the Missouri River.  The DNR has closed Wilson Island, also in Pottawattamie County, and Lewis and Clark State Park in Monona County. Nearby state parks Waubonsie, Viking Lake, Lake Anita, Prairie Rose, Stone and Black Hawk will likely see increases in attendance due to the park closures. 

Szcodronski said “The domino effect will be that other nearby parks will likely absorb campers who would normally be going to one of the closed parks that will in turn make it more difficult to find a campsite for the rest of this summer and likely into 2012.  Campers should also consider one of our fine county parks in the area.” 

Szcodronski said the three popular parks draw about 66,000 campers per year.  Lake Manawa State Park hosts an estimated 1.5 million park visits per year, the highest total in the Iowa state park system.

Authorities in Page County say a vehicle reported stolen this morning in Page County was found just before 1-p.m. today at 180th and F Avenue, in Montgomery County. The car, a white 2000 Buick Regal, was stolen from a residence on Highway 48 between Shenandoah and Essex sometime between 9:30-p.m. Monday and 6:30-a.m today (Tuesday).

The incident remains under investigation.