Pottawattamie County, Iowa – Assessments on damage across Pottawattamie County continue, following the severe weather events of April 26th. Assessments are a continual process but are beginning to validate the full scope of the tornado damage.

Current estimates (as of May 4th, 2024) include some level of damage experienced by owners of 302 homes and businesses in the county. Early projections estimate the destruction as totaling approximately $20,916,438 worth of damage, with an estimated $12,213,237 worth of property damage in Minden, including some estimates to county or municipal infrastructure.

Property damage by the numbers, excluding public infrastructure (As of 5/4/24):

Pottawattamie County, Iowa – Assessments on damage across Pottawattamie County continue, following the severe weather events of April 26th. Assessments are a continual process but are beginning to validate the full scope of the tornado damage.

Current estimates include some level of damage experienced by owners of 302 homes and businesses in the county. Early projections estimate the destruction as totaling approximately $20,916,438 worth of damage, with an estimated $12,213,237 worth of property damage in Minden, including some estimates to county or municipal infrastructure.

Property damage by the numbers, excluding public infrastructure (As of 5/4/24):

Multi-Agency Resource Center Brings Service Providers Together for Disaster Survivors

Over twenty human service agencies came together in Minden on Saturday, May 4th, for the Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC). The MARC operates as a one-stop shop assistance center for disaster information and service delivery. Assistance is available for a variety of needs including health and mental services, temporary housing, legal services, and more.

The MARC is open to all Pottawattamie County residents impacted by the tornado outbreak, and will operate again on Sunday, May 5th.

• LOCATION: United Church of Christ, 106 Lincoln Street, Minden, Iowa
• WHEN: Sunday, May 5th, 1:00PM to 4:00PM

Efforts to establish future MARCs are being coordinated, with possible locations in Crecent, Treynor, and Council Bluffs.

Infrastructure Stabilization Continues in Minden

Power has been restored to all homes and businesses capable of receiving in Minden. The State of Iowa partnered with the City of Minden to obtain contract services for a temporary water treatment plant and a debris removal contract that will expedite recovery.

Installation of the temporary water treatment plant began Friday, May 3rd. Officials are hopeful the plant is fully operational in the coming days. State contracted work for debris removal in Minden will begin Monday, May 6th.

Other Resources Available to County Residents

Free tree debris drop-off site. Only vegetative debris will be accepted. Loads including scrap metal, lumber, and other material will be denied.

• LOCATION: 145th Street & Rosewood Road; formerly known as the ‘KOA Campground’
• DATES: 5/4/2024 to 6/2/2024 (Seven days a week, closed Memorial Day)
• HOURS:  8:00AM-4:00PM

Currently, all communities in the county have received sufficient donations of household items. Disaster survivors can access these resources from multiple locations.

• Crescent City Hall, 102 W Florence Street, Crescent, Iowa
• Neola Area Community Center, 110 4th Street, Neola, Iowa
• Charles E. Lakin Foundation, 705 N 16th Street, Council Bluffs, Iowa
• Treynor City Hall, 11 West Main Street, Treynor Iowa

How Can I Help?

Officials continue to express gratitude for the incredible support received since the disaster. Volunteer groups have offered an incredible resource over the last week. To place volunteers where they’re most needed, officials are asking individuals interested in assisting to use the volunteer portal at sharegoodiowa.org. Agency partners will connect with volunteers and orchestrate efforts.

Needs for individuals and families vary greatly as they navigate the process to recovery. Monetary donations allow flexibility in meeting these needs. The Community Foundation for Western Iowa has established a Southwest Iowa Emergency Relief Fund to support areas impacted throughout the region. A separate fund has been established for the community of Minden. Avenues to give to these funds are available at GiveWesternIowa.org.

Report Damage

With the governor’s request for a Presidential Disaster Declaration, Pottawattamie County officials are emphasizing the importance of residential and business property owners submitting their damages to the Pottawattamie County Emergency Management website. The reports provide vital information that support the request for federal assistance to homeowners and business owners. The damage reporting portal can be accessed at pcema-ia.org. survivors can access these resources from multiple locations.

• Crescent City Hall, 102 W Florence Street, Crescent, Iowa
• Neola Area Community Center, 110 4th Street, Neola, Iowa
• Charles E. Lakin Foundation, 705 N 16th Street, Council Bluffs, Iowa
• Treynor City Hall, 11 West Main Street, Treynor Iowa

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston say no injuries were reported following a collision between a motorcycle and an SUV Friday evening. Authorities say a 2006 Jeep Liberty SUV driven by 66-year-old Debra Jean Hunderaker, of Creston, had pulled into a parking lot off of Sumner Street, then began to exit. Hunderaker said the sun was in her eyes, and she didn’t see a 2003 Harley Davidson motorcycle operated by 67-year-old Rickie Allen Klos, of Afton.

The SUV then turned back into the driveway, and as it was pulling in, was struck on the driver’s side door, by the motorcycle. The accident happened at around 6:50-p.m., Friday.

Klos told Creston Police he saw the SUV pull out, then thought it was stopping on the side of the road. When he attempted to pass the SUV, the vehicle turned in front of him towards the driveway.

Damage to the SUV was estimated at $1,000. The motorcycle sustained $5,000 damage. No citations were issued.

One person died and another was injured during a crash that occurred late Friday night, in Mills County. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2006 Harley Davidson motorcycle was traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of Highway 34 between mile markers 1 and 2, at the same time a 2019 KIA SUV was traveling eastbound. The motorcycle and SUV collided head-on at around 11:10-p.m., resulting in the death of the motorcycle operator, 39-year-old Jacob Otto Saxer, of Bellevue, NE.

The driver of the SUV was identified as 25-year-old Leeva Unique Kitchens, of Sidney (IA). Kitchen was transported by Glenwood Rescue to the Bellevue Hospital.

The State Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Mills County Sheriff’s Office and Nebraska State Patrol.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports deputies were dispatched at around 12:10-a.m. today (Saturday), to the 500 block of E. 4th Street, in Villisca, for a reported assault in progress. Following an investigation, Deputies arrested 39-year-old Kevin Bradshaw, of Villisca, who was charged with Domestic Abuse Assault (by) impeding the flow of air/blood, and Assault causing bodily injury.

Kevin Bradshaw was being held without bond, in the Montgomery County Jail.

The coalition’s report shows that 6 in 10 of all U.S. nursing homes would have met the new nurse-staffing standard of 3.48 hours in the fourth quarter of 2023. Iowa homes fell below the national average, with 56.5% of them meeting the new standard.

The report indicates the Iowa homes with the lowest nurse staffing levels in the fourth quarter of 2023 were Arbor Springs of West Des Moines, Midlands Living Center of Council Bluffs, Linn Haven Rehab & Health Care of New Hampton, Pleasant Acres Care Center of Hull, Northbrook Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center of Cedar Rapids, Crest Haven Care Centre of Creston and Aspire of Perry. All reported less than 2.5 hours of total nursing care per resident, per day, according to the report.

A separate set of data published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services indicates that 14% of Iowa’s 422 nursing facilities were cited for insufficient staffing in fiscal year 2023. That’s more than double the national average, which was 5.9%.

The report also highlights a problem in many nursing homes nationwide: high staff turnover, which disrupts continuity of care and leads to errors by workers who aren’t familiar with residents’ needs.  The Iowa homes with the highest rate of nursing-staff turnover, ranging from 85% to 100%, were Risen Son Christian Village of Council Bluffs, Sunrise Retirement Community of Sioux City, Wesley Acres of Des Moines, Arbor Springs of West Des Moines, Dunlap Specialty Care, Azria Health Park Place of Des Moines, Sunny Knoll Care Centre of Rockwell City, and Montezuma Specialty Care.

The report also identifies the Iowa nursing homes that had the highest number of administrators who left employment with the facility during 2023. The Elmwood Care Centre of Onawa and Heritage Specialty Care of Cedar Rapids, are each reported to have had five administrators who left the facility in 2023. Azria Health Park Place of Des Moines, Sunny Knoll Care Centre of Rockwell City, Crest Haven Care Centre of Creston, Cedar Falls Health Care Center, Premier Estates of Muscatine, Westwood Specialty Care of Sioux City, Casa De Paz Health Care Center of Sioux City, Wesley Park Centre of Newton, and Garden View Care Center of Shenandoah each are reported to have had four administrators leave during the year. Ten other Iowa nursing homes had three administrators leave during the year.