(Radio Iowa) – One month after flooding devastated the northwest Iowa town of Rock Valley, the mayor says work is still underway to bring in temporary housing. Mayor Kevin Van Otterloo says the residents of about 150 households can no longer live in their homes. “We are working hard on trying to get housing options, trailer court options. We’re working on a lot of stuff,” the mayor says. “We are at first working on temporary options for people to at least have a place to stay at night, instead of staying with relatives, because that can only go on for so long.”

Van Otterloo says Rock Valley is still waiting to get the all-clear from the federal government to start moving people into campers and trailers that are being staged at the Sioux County Fairgrounds, some ten miles away. He says FEMA is still assessing the damage to determine what financial help will be available for residents who were impacted the most. “The major concern is, ‘Do I put money back in this house, or are you going to buy me out?’ We can’t answer that question yet,” he says. “We keep telling then ‘It’s your house. Even if there’s a buyout offered, you don’t have to take it. You can still stay there. It’s your property.”

Radio Iowa – flood file photo

Van Otterloo says there was already a critical need for housing -before- flooding hit the town of four-thousand.

DES MOINES, Iowa – State Treasurer Roby Smith reports over $456 million in interest was earned on the Pooled Money Fund for the State’s 2024 fiscal year, which runs from July to June. “Records were broken in fiscal year 2024 as we earned more for the State than ever before,” said Smith. “Our goal is to earn high income while also preserving investment principal, and I’m proud to say we’ve accomplished that again this fiscal year.”

As Treasurer, Smith is the State’s banker and chief financial officer. One of his responsibilities includes investing all public funds not needed to meet current expenses in the Pooled Money Fund. The Fund is a combination of the State’s General Fund, Road Use Tax Fund, two reserve funds and a number of smaller funds.

“The more money we earn means less comes out of Iowans’ pockets,” concluded Smith. “This is a win for all of us.”

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston report the arrest Tuesday evening, of a woman from Lorimor. 43-year-old Megan Marie Brown, was arrested a little before 6-p.m. at 307 North St., in Creston. She was arrested on four warrants, all for failure to appear on the following charges:

• Possession of drug paraphernalia (a simple misdemeanor)
• Driving while barred (an aggravated misdemeanor)
• Possession of controlled substance (marijuana & methamphetamine/1st offense) (serious misdemeanors),
• and for failure to serve jail time on a charge of person ineligible to carry dangerous weapons (a serious misdemeanor).

Brown was taken to the Union County Jail and later transported to the Adams County Jail, where her cash-only bond was set at $3,300.

(Radio Iowa) – Thousands of cyclists on the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa stopped in Greenfield yesterday (Tuesday), just two months after tornado ripped through the community, killing four people and destroying homes. Greenfield resident Mackenzie Meisenheimer says right after the tornado, it wasn’t clear if the town would still be able to host RAGBRAI. “It’s a good thing we had RAGBRAI though because it gave us a reason to clean up. It gave us a reason to get ourselves together a little bit and something to look forward to, having people here looking at what’s left of our awesome town,” Meisenheimer said. “I mean, we have so much left that’s still here and beautiful.”

RAGBRAI rider Dana Kramer of Urbandale says the bike route took her past part of town that was in the tornado’s path.  “I thought I would see a little bit more of the devastation from the storm, but they’ve gotten pretty much everything torn down and they’ve started the rebuilding processes,” she says. “Some houses are still boarded up, but I think it shows the strength of the city in wanting to get things back to normal and continue to host RAGBRAI.”

Kramer and other riders say they stopped in Greenfield to help boost the local economy. The town square in Greenfield was not hit by the tornado and that’s where vendors selling food, t-shirts and other items were set up. Vendors also had plastic containers to accept cash donations and a Q-R code was printed on fliers for digital contributions to Greenfield’s tornado recovery fund.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak report an Adams County man was arrested Tuesday afternoon, on a felony charge of Theft in the 1st Degree (an amount greater than $10,000).  42-year-old Adam Lewis Schrodt, of Corning, was taken into custody at around 4-p.m. and transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where his bond was set at $10,000. Red Oak Police were assisted in conducting the investigation and arrest, by deputies with the Adams County Sheriff’s Department. Authorities say additional charges may be filed by Adams County and the Des Moines Police Department.

Additional details were not immediately available.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – In response to this year’s severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding experienced across Iowa, the State of Iowa has launched the Disaster Recovery Temporary Housing Program for Pottawattamie County.

This program is available to survivors whose homes were majorly damaged, destroyed, or deemed not habitable in counties currently under a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for Individual and Public Assistance. The program will provide temporary sheltering in travel trailers or recreational vehicles to survivors who are unable to locate rental homes or apartments and agree to the terms and conditions of the program.

Iowans whose primary residence is Pottawattamie County must first apply for FEMA disaster assistance to be eligible for the housing program. The State of Iowa will determine if the home is majorly damaged, destroyed, or not habitable, and that it was the owner or renter’s pre-disaster primary residence.

You can register for FEMA Individual Assistance in the following ways:

• Visit DisasterAssistance.gov
• Call FEMA directly at 800-621-FEMA (3362)
• Download and use the FEMA app
• Visit any Disaster Recovery Center to apply or get application assistance

Homeowners must also have filed a claim with their insurance company and have received final approval or denial of their claim. Applicable FEMA and insurance documentation is requested as part of the application process, including, but not limited to their FEMA Individual Assistance case number.

To apply for the Disaster Recovery Temporary Housing Program:

• Application Portal: Disaster Recovery Temporary Housing Program (also at disasterrecovery.iowa.gov)

• Call Center Info: Phone Number: +1 608 480 8808
  • Toll-Free Number: 833 307 6030
  • Hours of Operation: 7:00 AM -8:00 PM; 7 days a week
  • TTY and Translation services available

Iowans seeking more information can visit  disasterrecovery.iowa.gov.