A bill awaiting Governor Branstad’s review would establish new requirements in hopes of cracking down on so-called “storm chasers.” Consumer complaints about contractors who ride into town after a tornado or other disaster, but provide substandard or no repairs at all prompted legislators to draft the bill. Senator Matt McCoy, a Democrat from Des Moines, says if the bill becomes law, contractors will have to provide a written document to the home owner, spelling out how the deal may be canceled. “It requires contractors to provide notice to the person that is receiving the repair, the residential homeowner, prior to them entering into a contract,” McCoy says. The lettering on that document is to be “at least 10 points” high and in “bold” which means it can’t be tiny, unreadable type at the bottom of the page. Contractors could also get into trouble for misleading marketing to home owners. McCoy says there are some common tricks. 

“Misrepresenting themselves as a negotiator or an adjuster on a claim,” McCoy says. If the bill becomes law, it would be illegal for a contractor to offer a rebate or reduction on the cost of repairs that’s equal to the homeowner’s insurance deductible. The bill also stipulates a homeowner who receives notice from their insurance company that the repairs are NOT covered by their home owner’s policy have three days to notify the contractor they want to cancel the work. In some cases alleged “storm chasers” who quickly arrive on the scene after a calamity have convinced home owners their insurance will pay to replace their entire roof, only have the claim denied by their insurance company.

(O. Kay Henderson/Radio Iowa)

The National Weather Service is predicting Iowa’s early summer temperatures and rainfall will be near normal, but two Iowa-based climatologists say they’re somewhat concerned about the weather impact on Iowa’s crop-growing season. The N-W-S forecast predicts warmer than normal temperatures south of Iowa and Illinois in the extreme southern cornbelt. State Climatologist Harry Hillaker says he doesn’t want to see the warm temperatures seep into Iowa.  “A little bit of concern though, you know the last week oh about a week and a half now has been quite dry across Iowa, and very dry to the southwest of us. Kansas, Oklahoma has turned very dry in the last few weeks. Don’t like to see that area so close by you know to see drought expanding this time of the year because very often it keeps on expanding as time goes on,” according to Hillaker. And Iowa’s May temperatures are already running about six-degrees above normal.

“Which is quite a large departure for this time of the year, historically you look back at years that brought us unusually warm Mays — pretty large percentage of the time its also brought us above normal temperatures for June and July,” Hillaker says.  Iowa State University climatologist, Elwyn Taylor, is also worried about the long-range forecasted above normal temperatures in the southern corn belt. “That’s slightly discouraging.I don’t like to see July and August on the warm side of usual. The plants use more water, they mature faster and so they don’t get as many days in the sun to put on the weight that we harvest and sell.” The long-range forecast is for normal precipitation through June. Hillaker says the La Nina and El Nino influences are subsiding and shouldn’t affect Iowa’s summer weather.

(Dar Danielson/Radio Iowa)