Iowa residents traveled to Fort Dodge Tuesday to share ideas on the recovery and rebuilding effort after the recent floods and storms at the Rebuild Iowa Office ''Speak Up Iowa!'' public input listening session.
Two men weren't interested in the recovery after the flooding so much as the prevention of future disasters.
''We need to think about how we're continuing to live our lives,'' said Garry Boggs, a concerned citizen of Albion who made the trip. ''There is technology and solutions out there that would greatly minimize the damage and loss of life.''
Boggs and Howard Messerer, a land owner from Marshalltown, stopped by the agriculture and environment task force booth to discuss ways that technology could prevent future flooding in Iowa.
''When it rains, farmers are more concerned about getting that water off of their land as quickly as possible without any concern about the folks downstream,'' Boggs said. ''Subirrigation would help drain that water more slowly and save topsoil.''
But subirrigation is a hard sell to make during a flooding season, said Denis Schulte, Fort Dodge district conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
''Subirrigation is exactly where we're trying to go, but that means we're going to have to focus on education,'' Schulte said.
Turning some of the farmland back into native marshes would also give a buffer to the farms, creating a place for the water to go, but many farmers don't want to give up potential land, said Schulte.
''All our topsoil is going to Louisiana, and you can't raise crops without topsoil,'' said Messerer. ''You can replace a beautification project but you can't replace the topsoil.''
But it isn't just farmland that can help minimize the impact of a disaster in Iowa, said Kim Hayes, hazard mediation advice specialist for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
''You, as individuals, can lessen the chances of a disaster,'' said Hayes. ''Every area has some kind of potential for danger, but the impact can be lessened by taking simple steps.''
Elevating the furnace in the basement or getting the washer and dryer out of harm's way are simple low-cost solutions that can help minimize the costs after a storm, she said.
''Just take a look around your house and make a change that doesn't have to be expensive,'' Hayes said. ''But you need to weigh the costs of what you can do and what you're willing to risk.''
If an individual knows they live in a flood plain, elevating their entire home or moving it somewhere else may be the only option to save lives, Hayes said.
''We work to make better, safer, stronger homes,'' she said.
But when it's too late to save the home, save lives, said Carol Swain, for FEMA external affairs.
''Be prepared to have a plan,'' she said.
Hayes said it's important that all family members have a number to call outside of the area. The person at that number will act as a check-in person, so family members aren't looking for each other and worrying needlessly. Writing phone numbers down is also helpful because a storm could knock out cell phone towers, leaving cell phones useless.
And every family should have a ''go kit,'' Hayes said.
''If you need to be evacuated from your home, you waste a lot of time gathering up belongings,'' she said. ''Have a tub with your vital records, a change of clothes and medication, so everything is in one area and you can just throw it in the back of your car and go.''
Contact Katie Williams at (515) 573-2141 or katie@messengernews.net
