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2016 Flood Damage estimates are adding up

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Damage to repair the bank and sidewalk along the riverwalk could top $45,000.

By Pam Reinig

Register Editor

The Elkader City Council recently got its first look at damages and cost estimates associated with last month’s flooding of the Turkey River. 

City Administrator Jennifer Cowsert put the price tag at over $63,000—with several expenses not yet calculated. The most extensive damage involves a portion of the riverwalk on the north side of the Turkey where part of the trail washed away. Repairing the riverbank and sidewalk is estimated at $47,000.

“We also had a small break that allowed a lot of debris into the main sewer lift station and then eventually into the wastewater treatment plant,” Cowsert said. “We think all of that will be around $12,000.”

Removing debris from the bridge will add another $4,500; other debris (trees, sand and so on) will be another couple of thousands of dollars. And then there’s general cleanup costs.

“There’s all that sand in places where it’s not supposed to be like City Park and the river access,” Cowsert continued. “In addition, there are wash-out areas such as the floodway, our parts of Pony Hollow Trail, the shoulders along High Street SE, the driveway at the Little League field and the field itself, the exercise trail at the park and so on. I don’t have costs estimates for those yet.”

The final tally will also include repair costs for an area behind businesses on the north side of Main Street and damaged stones on the Keystone Bridge. Other expenses not related to damages include sand (a partial bill for $1,600 has been received) plus $1,000 for a new hose for a pump. 

Representatives from the Iowa Department of Homeland Security earlier toured flood-ravaged Northeast Iowa, including Elkader and other parts of Clayton County. FEMA representatives were in town Thursday. If FEMA funds are available, they will be administered through Homeland Security.

The availability of federal funds has not yet been determined. A presidential disaster declaration is needed. If that comes, the state and county will need to fit within pre-established guidelines. Iowa, as a whole, must have $4.2 million in damages; the county would need to reach the $64,000 level.

Even with FEMA funds, the city would need to make a contribution to the final tally. Cowsert said that in prior disasters the formula was 75 percent federal dollars, 10 percent state dollars and 15 percent local match. However, the local match was waived in 2008 because the disaster was so widespread that other funds were available. The FEMA figure for 2008 was $3.5 million, excluding the buy-out, cost of the new fire station.

“Assuming we do need a local match at this time, all of the time that people spent sandbagging, the donated use of a skid loader or any other type of pre-flood activity will count towards that so we won’t have to put up as much actual cash,” Cowsert explained. “That’s why Danielle Shea (donated her time) asking everyone to sign in and out as they volunteered.”

If no federal or state funds are available, the City will need to evaluate and prioritize the damage before deciding how and when to proceed with repairs. For Main Street businesses impacted by the recent flood, some monies may be available in light of the governor’s disaster declaration.

“It would be nice to have our own fund for smaller events like this, and not have to rely on state and federal assistance,” said Cowsert. “But city budgets keep getting tighter each year and we have not been able to set aside that kind of money for these types of events. After the 2014 ‘high water event,’ a sewer line that crossed the river became exposed and we had to repair that. That was $225,000 we had not planned on spending.”

On the plus side, much of the money invested in repairs and upgrades after the historic 2008 flood—the elevation of two sanitary lift stations, for example—minimized the impact of this flood and will continue to do so in the future.

“I remember hearing on the radio that some other communities had problems with their wastewater treatment plants and residents were told not to use water, and so on,” Cowsert said. “So residents in those places who may not have had problems with floodwaters themselves were still impacted because of what happened with their wastewater treatment plant. But because of the projects we have done, our residents not directly impacted by the flood were not affected.”

No deadline for a FEMA decision on assistance, if any, for the recent flood is available. A declaration was made fairly soon after the 2008 flood, though it was nearly 90 days before funds were made available. 

 
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