As we come upon the 15-year anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on our nation, the Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency and others  recognize September as National Preparedness Month. Disasters can and will happen, it’s a matter of when and where they strike next. Being prepared not only lessens the risk for severe injuries or loss of property, but makes you a better Iowan for acknowledging those risks and being prepared for any type of emergency.

Montgomery County Emergency Management Director Brian Hamman says there are several simple steps that can ensure that you, your family and your place of business are prepared. Those steps include making an emergency plan, building an emergency kit and being aware of the hazards in your area that could impact you.

For more preparedness tips, visit www.beready.iowa.gov  Preparedness information will also be posted throughout the month on the Montgomery County EMA Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/MontgomeryEMA

For more information on Preparedness Month sponsors, visit:
Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management, www.homelandsecurity.iowa.gov
Iowa Emergency Management Association, www.iowaema.com
Safeguard Iowa Partnership, www.safeguardiowa.org
National Weather Service Des Moines, www.weather.gov/dmx

Governor Terry Branstad leaves today (Wednesday) for a two-day trip to Atlanta. It’s another business prospecting venture for the governor. “The companies we call on, on these trips, are confidential,” Branstad says. Branstad is revealing “most” of the Atlanta-based companies he’ll visit already have operations in Iowa, so he’ll be talking with “decision-makers” about expanding in Iowa.

“I think these calls are important,” Branstad says, “and I’ve done this throughout my tenure as governor and they’ve led to some good things happening.” About five million people live in the Atlanta metro. The typical commute for the average Atlanta worker is 13 miles — the longest in the country. A recent Texas A-and-M study found Atlanta drivers spend 52 HOURS every year, stuck in rush hour traffic.

“One of the benefits we do have in Iowa is a very short commute time and we don’t have the congestion and the cost of living that are true in a lot of other places in the country,” Branstad says. According to the U.S. Census Burea, the longest commute times in Iowa are in rural areas.

The average Guthrie County worker spends 27 minutes on the drive to work. Workers in Iowa’s largest county — Polk County — have an average commute time of 19 minutes. Forty-seven of Iowa’s 99 counties have a longer commute time than Polk County.

(Radio Iowa)

The dream of buying a home in rural Iowa is getting cheaper. Home mortgage rates from the U-S-D-A’s Rural Development Agency have dropped to just below 2.875%. Krista Mettscher, a rural housing specialist with the agency, says there are income and other limits with the low rate, but even those with credit issues could qualify.

“Generally speaking, if you have a credit score of about 640, you can get in with some reduced documentation,” Metscher says. “We can do some loans with credit scores under the 640, it just may take a little additional documentation.” Mettscher says some people could find even lower rates. “You can qualify for a subsidized interest rate based on your household size and income,” she says. “You might even qualify for anything from the 2.875 down to a 1% interest rate on a 33-year loan.”

The program is available in most rural communities across the region. http://eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov

(Radio Iowa)

Red Oak Police, Tuesday, arrested 43-year old Robert Allen Childs, of Red Oak, on a Page County warrant for Interference with Official Acts. Childs was taken into custody at around 5:50-p.m. and brought to the Montgomery County Jail, where he was being held on $300 bond.

Police in Red Oak investigating a reported hit-and-run property damage accident, located the suspect vehicle and cited a woman for Failure to Obey a Stop Sign. Authorities were called to Highway 34 and Ironwood Road at around 7:30-p.m., Tuesday. When they arrived, they spoke with 17-year old Justin Bernard, of Red Oak, who told them the accident had taken place at Eastern and Summit Streets, when the driver of a Pontiac Grand Am ran the stop sign and his 2000 Chevy pickup hit the right rear corner of the car.

The other driver left the scene after briefly pulling over. Bernard followed the car to the area where officers initially responded, and was able to obtain information from a witness who was able to provide the license plate number of the vehicle.

Officers located 19-year old Savanna Abraham, of Red Oak, and issued her a citation. Damage from the collision amounted to $1,300.