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Nearly $10
million in flood damage in Clayton County
By Trudy Balcom
All roads closed by flooding in Clayton County are now open,
but not all of the scenery along these roads is not as pretty as it used to be.
Damaged homes and businesses, soggy cropland and ruined roads can be found
across the southern and central part of Clayton County.
Particularly hard hit was Elkader. The Turkey River in
Elkader crested at 30.9 feet last Tuesday, June 10, setting a new record. Areas
of downtown and some residential neighborhoods were flooded, and water did not
fully recede until Thursday, according to Elkader City Administrator Jennifer
Cowsert.
A boil water order was issued in the city for last Tuesday
and Wednesday after an old water main which was submerged on the bottom of the
river broke.
The Red Cross has declared 54 homes in the city are severely
damaged or destroyed.
Inspections of homes in the city to assess safety began last
Thursday, Cowsert said, conducted by two volunteer inspectors from the cities of
Dubuque and Marion.
According to Clayton County Emergency Management Director
Joel Biggs flooded homeowners can expect to undergo assessment inspections by as
many as five different agencies including FEMA.
Many downtown businesses in Elkader also sustained flood
damage, including Wilke’s Grocery and Freedom Bank, Schera’s Restaurant, the
Elkader Public Library and the fire station, among others.
Some businesses have reopened in a new location. Some may
move back to their original location, others will not. A few businesses may not
reopen at all.
Clayton County Emergency Management released the total figure
for preliminary damage in Clayton County and cities in Clayton County on Monday.
The total is $9,198,540. Also on Monday, Clayton County Emergency Management
Director Joel Biggs said that he expects that the county will be added to the
list of Iowa counties declared as federal disaster areas to received assistance
to rebuild infrastructure. The county is already listed among the 83 counties
declared as state disaster areas.
As of June 16, 24 counties have been included in the federal
disaster declaration for Individual Assistance, which helps individual
homeowners and businesses. That list includes Cedar, Jones, Louisa, Muscatine,
Polk and Winn-eshiek counties which were added on June 15. Other counties
approved for Individual Assistance are Adams, Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer,
Buchanan, Butler, Cerro Gordo, Delaware, Fayette, Floyd, Hardin, Johnson, Linn,
Marion, Page, Story, Tama, and Union.
If you have been
affected
by flooding:
Clayton County rural residents are asked to report
significant residential damage to the Clayton County Emergency Management Agency
at 563-245-3004. Leave a message including your name and phone number, and
someone will return your call. The Red Cross is set up at the Elkader Fire
Station.
Clayton County agricultural damage should be reported to the
FSA (Farm Service Agency) office in Elkader at 563-245-1713, or stop by the FSA
Office at 500 Gunder Road in Elkader.
Residents and business owners that have been affected by the
flooding should register with FEMA. This can be done online at www.fema.gov,
or by calling 1-800-621-3362. Speech and hearing impaired can call
1-800-462-7585.
The following are
preliminary reports of damage:
Clayton County: $827,174
Elkader: $7,969,497 including infrastructure (public buildings,
school, etc.): $3,762,147
Elkader businesses: $1,922,350
Elkader residential: $2,285,000
City of Clayton: $84,000
North Buena Vista: $64,190
Osterdock: $8,152
Guttenberg: $19,759
Garber: $132,268
Elkport: $93,500
Financial donations can be
sent to the Clayton County Disaster Recovery Committee at PO Box 48, St. Olaf,
IA, 52072. For further information, call 563-783-7794. Donations are
tax deductible
Parking tickets drive up
McGregor controversy
over alternate side parking
By Trudy Balcom
Nobody likes to get a
parking ticket.
While parking tickets usually amount to little more than a
nuisance, the parking regulations which lead to the tickets can cause strife
between businesses and city government.
Becky Johnson, owner of Little Switzerland Inn, was upset
when several guests who stayed with her received parking tickets on Memorial
Day.
Guests from the American House also received tickets, which
did not impress Bill Eckhart, owner of the American House.
It’s unfortunate that the welcome my guests got on a holiday
weekend was a ticket,” said Eckhart. According to Johnson, six tickets
were given to her guests.
Since McGregor is a town with a tourist-based economy,
Johnson feels that parking tickets, particularly tickets handed out on a
holiday, are bad for business. Johnson said that she could not recall her guests
getting a ticket before on a holiday. Parking was in particularly short supply
on Memorial Day weekend because there was no parking at Triangle Park and the
city lot across from the Municipal Utilities building was full of trailers and
vehicles of art fair vendors.
Police Chief Randy Grady said that parking regulations are
enforced according to the signs posted on the street, including holidays, unless
he is notified by the city to do otherwise. MarMac Police also gives innkeepers
copies of parking regulation notices to give to their guests so that they may
avoid tickets. Grady noted that parking ordinances were changed a few years ago
to allow overnight parking on the weekends along Main St. to accommodate
innkeepers.
According to City Clerk-Administrator Norm Lincoln, alternate
side parking is in effect year-round along Main Street from the 100 block up to
Fourth St.
The purpose of the ordinance, he said, is to provide for snow
removal, street sweeping, and to prevent downtown apartment dwellers from
leaving cars parked on the street for prolonged periods of time.
Johnson said that she feels that these issues aren’t really a
problem for the city on her block, which has three lodging businesses on it, the
American House, Russet’s Retreat and Little Switzerland Inn.
Marquette and McGregor
begin hazard planning process
By Trudy Balcom
McGregor and Marquette
were spared during last week’s round of flooding rains. But with disaster
occurring all around, it proved to be a good time to begin the process of
updating each town’s Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Marquette and McGregor met jointly Monday night at City Hall
in McGregor to begin the planning process.
Steve Meyer and Robyn Reese of Emergency Planning and
Consulting of Anamosa, Iowa, have been hired by both cities to write new Hazard
Mitigation Plans for each.
Cities must have a Hazard Mitigation Plan in order to be
eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance in the event
of a disaster.
After flash floods struck Marquette and McGregor last summer,
the towns discovered that their previous Hazard Mitigation Plans did not meet
current FEMA guidelines. Since the cost of the flooding damages that occurred
last summer did not meet the threshold for FEMA assistance, Marquette and
McGregor did not miss out on any FEMA relief.
But they did realize the importance of updating their plans.
Having the plans in place also makes the towns eligible for federal grants to
assist with disaster preparedness. The grants can help pay for items used by
emergency response staff such as police departments, fire departments and other
items.
McGregor played host to the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
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Submitted by
Joanne
Burr
“Here rests in honored
glory an American soldier known but to God.” Everyone knows—or SHOULD know—that
those are the words inscribed on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Located at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C., it
honors the remains of unknown American soldiers from World Wars I and II, the
Korean War and Vietnam. McGregor, was honored with a replica of that tomb over
Memorial Day weekend.
Lyle Ellis, a McGregor native for many years, a Prairie du
Chien resident for many years following and a veteran of the armed forces,
brought the replica to McGregor.
He currently lives in Onalaska, Wis.
Ellis inspired by his volunteer work with the Moving Wall (a
traveling replica of the Vietnam Veteran Memorial Wall) to do the same with the
tomb. Made of wood, Styrofoam, and concrete, the first showing was in July,
2007. Since then, word-of-mouth has brought many requests to see the tomb from
all over the United States. Luckily, Ellis has help from a retired couple to
accommodate the many requests. Strictly nonprofit, around the clock guarding of
the tomb is preferred. Typically, this comes in the form of volunteers such as
American Legion members, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Eagle Scouts, VFW and your
everyday, patriotic citizens.
Hotels, motels, restaurants
sometimes donate food and lodging to those escorting the tomb. Free will
donations help to subsidize the exorbitant (as we all know!) gas prices.
Many of us will never have the opportunity to visit Arlington
National Cemetery. The traveling tomb offers the chance to do so in our own
home towns. Just as they do at Arlington, people come to honor the many unknown
soldiers for all they have given. They come with wreaths, flowers, mementos…
These items are combined with items left at the Moving Wall sites, packed up,
then sent to Arlington to “join forces” with the mementos left at the official
sites.
Tears, reverence, respect, and thanks, however, cannot be
packed up. In Ellis’ words, “This is the perfect opportunity for parents,
grandparents, children and grandchildren to see this and ask questions. When
they ask questions, these soldiers are not forgotten—as long as a question is
asked and there is someone there to answer them.” |
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