News

Scams seem to follow disasters. Don’t let your guard down and suffer another disaster such as identity theft or paying fees for services that are never provided.Remember, FEMA never charges for services nor does it endorse any commercial business, product or service. All federal employees have an official badge/ID. Ask to see it.The following are some common post-disaster fraud practices to avoid.

On Monday, Celebration Park was the location for the new Vinton-Shellsburg teachers to meet other teachers that they will be working within the school district.Joining the district this year are the following staff members:At the High School: Gabrielle Power, Ag/ FFA Teacher; Amber Hermanson, Special Education Teacher; Neil Whitehead, Spanish/Alt. HS Teacher.

State forestry experts are encouraging Iowans to proceed with caution as they begin cleaning up the extensive tree damage from Monday’s historic storm.“Hopefully the power will be back on but checking for downed power lines is a must,” said Emma Hanigan, urban forestry coordinator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. “Be careful when working with trees and limbs that are snapped off, twisted and tangled together.

This past week has been particularly trying for Benton County citizens, government and emergency responders. The devastating Derecho Windstorm left 90% of Benton County without power and at least 90% of the county’s residents with wind damage ranging from minor to severe. Benton County Emergency Management Coordinator Scott Hansen stated this has been the most difficult disaster incident in his career to coordinate due to the severe impact to ten communities, the widespread damage to rural areas and the long term lack of communications capabilities caused by infrastructure damage from the storm.

Gov. Kim Reynolds formally requested an expedited Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for Iowa communities and counties that have been severely impacted by the devastating derecho storm that occurred on Monday, August 10th, 2020.  “From cities to farms, Iowans are hurting, many still have challenges with shelter, food, and power.

The old yogurt shop, the former Clingman Pharmacy or  200 W 4th St in Vinton is the location of the new site specifically [st] up for the Benton County Derecho Storm Resource Group. At this time the group is collecting supplies or donations for families that need a helping hand at this time. There is not an account [st] up for donations, but they can be made through the Benton County Coalition, or cash or gift cards can be dropped off at the location.

Everyone knows that a trailer is no place to be in the event that a tornado hits, but it's also not the place to be in the case of a derecho, which is what we had last Monday. I talked briefly with a family in the Timber Ridge Trailer court that is located south of Shellsburg At the time that the storm hit, their 13-year-old son, 20-year-old daughter and their mother were hiding in a corner bedroom holding shut the door to the room as the storm hit.

For those that have lost food due to the disaster that affected our area last week, there may be assistance available at this link. According to the DHS website, the application deadline is September 25, 2020."IAGP offers grants to families whose household’s annual income is at 200% or less of the federal poverty level. Each qualifying household MAY receive up to $5,000.

The first day of school will be August 31st. This is due to the storm damage throughout the district.We will utilize the built-in snow days on January 18th, February 15th, April 6th, and Friday, May 28th. The calendar has additional hours already built in to cover the 5th day. We will operate with the plan of any inclement weather days will be continuous learning days.

The Benton County Disaster Recovery Coalition is seeking monetary donations to assist families impacted by the August 10th storm. The Coalition responds to multi-dwelling disasters to assist families in the county who have unmet needs after all other sources of funds have been exhausted. Individual insurance, federal and state assistance would be utilized first and if a family still had unmet needs existing that creates a hardship for the family, then the Coalition will do what they can to provide financial support.