Colfax residents have tough road ahead
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Colfax Mayor Dave Mast said some people in his town are questioning whether it’s worth going back to their homes after another round of record flooding.
Having seen their basements flooded earlier this summer, now even worse than when the South Skunk River eclipsed flood stage in 1993, the morale of some residents is shaken.
“Some of those that were affected in ‘93 and affected again now are not sure what they need to do again in the future,” Mast said. “It’s major damage, and they have major decisions to make.”
Clean-up and recovery efforts from the record flooding are picking up since the South Skunk River dropped below flood stage Wednesday morning.
The Iowa Department of Transportation has arranged through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security a one-time trash and debris pickup on Monday, Mast said. He added that smaller dump runs have already started and will be ongoing as FEMA is expected to arrive sometime in the next two weeks to set up a disaster recovery center.
“Sometime [FEMA] will come and look at sites and see what’s available, but we don’t have a specific time they are going to come,” Mast said.
Highway 117 on the Colfax side of the bridge running over the South Skunk River is expected to be re-opened as a single-lane road today, the mayor said, which should allow for some return to normalcy for the community of 2,000.
“People are well ready to find a short way to the interstate,” Mast said.
The South Skunk River is a little more than three feet below the 17-foot flood level near Colfax, according to www.rivergauge.com. With no rain expected in the near future, local officials are hopeful they can now focus all of their efforts on helping residents and local businesses get back on their feet.
Of the 700 homes in Colfax, roughly 500 had some kind of flooding in their basements, while about a fifth of those homes suffered severe damage, Mast said. The mayor added that infrastructure is getting close to normal operations.
“The water supply has been fine the whole way through, the sewer service is getting close to normal and roads too are close to normal,” he said.
Jasper County Emergency Management Director Jim Sparks said people affected by any flooding this summer should contact FEMA to see if they qualify for any financial assistance.
“Any flood or storm damage that has occurred since June 1, anywhere in the county, ... they are eligible to apply to FEMA for assistance for any losses that were uninsured,” Sparks said. “Even if the work is (already) completed, they need to apply.”
FEMA can be contacted by calling (800) 621-3362 or by going to www.disasterassistance.gov.
Red Cross has already established its headquarters in the Howard Street Christian Church in Colfax, located at 101 N. Locust. Volunteer Margie Heston said the site is serving two meals per day from the church, and it has a wide variety of clothing and school supplies available for free to any flood victims in Jasper County.
Heston said the center is in need of donations from the public, particularly cleaning supplies, small appliances and bedding. Hours for the site are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and Sunday noon to 6 p.m.
