Iowa

February 20, 2009 -- DES MOINES – Iowa Governor Chet Culver and Congressman Bruce Braley today announced that more than $5.1 million in federal and state funds has been identified and is in final approval for two conservation related recovery projects in Iowa. These funds are part of the effort to help rebuild infrastructure following the historic floods of 2008.

“Repairing our infrastructure after last years natural disasters means more than just roads and bridges. We must rebuild every facet of our state’s infrastructure, such as our conservation trails and bridges. These are essential to our state’s full recovery,” Governor Culver noted. “I will continue to work with federal partners to ensure Iowans are aided in all aspects of the recovery effort,” Culver stressed.    » read more »

Iowa DOT awards $56 million in highway, bridge projects using stimulus funds

February 20, 2009 -- DES MOINES – Iowa is wasting no time putting federal stimulus funds to work as transportation officials award their first construction projects using stimulus dollars, Iowa Governor Chet Culver announced today. Within three days of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act being signed into law, 19 highway and bridge projects totaling more than $56 million are moving forward.

"Creating jobs by investing in our infrastructure is a critical step to turn around our economy,” said Governor Culver. “As Governor, I want to make sure that we are putting federal stimulus funds to use as soon as we can in order to create and retain good jobs in Iowa."    » read more »

IBM Project to create more than 1300 good-paying jobs

February 19, 2009 -- DES MOINES – Green conversion of a Dubuque building for the huge IBM project received a stimulus award today from the Economic Development Board and the Iowa Department of Economic Development as did four manufacturing expansions. IBM is the largest information technology project of its kind for Iowa. New manufacturing vitality is evident from the stimulus awards in Cedar Rapids, Cherokee, Colfax, and Decorah. Further actions today will finance entrepreneurs and small businesses; promote Iowa exports, film and video productions; and develop Iowa’s future technology workforce.    » read more »

February 18, 2009 -- DES MOINES – Iowa Governor Chet Governor today signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor that will mean an additional twenty-five dollars each week for Iowans receiving unemployment benefits starting in March.

The additional payments are a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed into law by President Obama yesterday. The stimulus bill provides the additional benefits through federal funds and does not affect Iowa’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund solvency.    » read more »

Iowa Expected to Benefit From $1.9 Billion in Federal Funds

February 16, 2009 -- DES MOINES – With the passage of the $787 billion Federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Iowa Governor Culver has outlined five steps to ensure state government maximizes the $1.9 billion of the funds Iowa is expected to receive.

“The recovery package marks an important point in time when it comes to addressing the economic downturn caused by past policies from Washington and practices on Wall Street,” said Governor Culver. “This recovery package is a major step to bring America’s economy back to life. The question now is: where do we go from here? These five steps will ensure that our state handles these funds responsibly and in a way that will put Iowans to work.”    » read more »

February 10, 2009 -- DES MOINES – Today, Iowa Governor Chet Culver announced that the Iowa Transportation Commission has approved more than $2.8 million for transportation infrastructure projects around the state.

“I believe investing in infrastructure is an investment in jobs. These projects will help address the unmet infrastructure needs which exist in these communities across the state, and most importantly, keep Iowans working,” said Governor Culver. “I look forward to the coming weeks of the legislative session as we focus our efforts on infrastructure, economic stimulus, and job creation, and continuing our work to rebuild Iowa.”    » read more »

February 3, 2009 -- DES MOINES – Iowa Governor Chet Culver along with 18 of his gubernatorial colleagues from across the nation have written a letter to President Barack Obama in support of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the federal economic recovery package currently being considered by Congress.

The letter, signed by a bipartisan group of Governors including the current chair and vice chair of the National Governors Association, says the legislation creates a partnership between federal and state government to stimulate the economy.

The Governors also write that the legislation’s support for public education, health care, and infrastructure “will create and preserve jobs today, and represents a sound investment in our long-term economic interests as well.”    » read more »

Builds upon $1.5 billion already secured for disaster recovery efforts

February 2, 2009 -- DES MOINES – Iowa Governor Chet Culver continued his work of helping communities recover from the disasters of 2008 by signing the Rebuild Iowa Bill into law. The $56 million included in this legislation will be added to the nearly $1.5 billion in state and federal funds secured for Iowa’s disaster recovery efforts. In addition, Governor Culver signed Senate File 44, which will allow communities affected by last summer’s storms the option of raising additional funds for disaster relief.    » read more »

American Wind Energy Association report shows Iowa has surpassed California

January 29, 2009 -- DES MOINES – Citing a new report by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), Iowa Governor Culver today announced that Iowa has surpassed California, and now ranks 2nd in the nation in Wind Energy Capacity.    » read more »

85 Iowa counties covered by Presidential Disaster Declaration

August 13, 2008 -- (DES MOINES) – Today, Iowa Governor Chet Culver received word from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that seven additional Iowa counties – Adair, Audubon, Cass, Grundy, Guthrie, Henry and Winnebago – were granted a Presidential Disaster Declaration for Individual Assistance, and Cherokee County was granted Public Assistance.

Governor Culver said, “As we move forward with our statewide rebuilding efforts, assessments will continue to be made to better identify the total damages in the state, and the resources available to citizens in their time of need. In the aftermath of our severe weather, these additional declarations are an essential part of helping all Iowans recover.”    » read more »

DES MOINES, Iowa, July 3, 2008 -- The long Fourth of July weekend offers an excellent opportunity to take a break from the stress and intense emotions caused by the recent storms, tornadoes and floods.

Everyone is affected by a disaster, even if they don't suffer direct losses. Emotions such as grief, sadness, shock, anger, helplessness and hopelessness are natural. Experts say it is important to talk about those emotions.

Stress caused by loss or traumatic experience can sneak up on people, too. It may not be recognized for weeks or months after the experience.

Here are warning signs of stress to be aware of:

* Trouble concentrating or remembering things;
* Difficulty making decisions;    » read more »

Beware of Scams

Kansas City, Kan., July 3, 2008 -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is not currently conducting indoor air sampling in response to the Iowa flooding.

EPA on-scene coordinators are assessing outdoor air quality by using fixed monitoring equipment situated at key points throughout the flood-damaged area. The initial locations for outdoor air sampling and monitoring activities include the cities of Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Fort Madison, Iowa City, Keokuk, Montrose, Parkersburg, and Waterloo, and Louisa County. The monitoring has begun in each of these locations.    » read more »

Kansas City, Kan., July 3, 2008 -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is conducting air sampling for asbestos and air monitoring for particulates as Iowa communities clean up from recent floods.

EPA on-scene coordinators will assess air quality by using fixed monitoring equipment situated at key points throughout the flood-damaged area. The initial locations for sampling and monitoring activities include the cities of Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Fort Madison, Iowa City, Keokuk, Montrose, Parkersburg, and Waterloo and Louisa County. The monitoring has begun in each of these locations.    » read more »

DES MOINES, Iowa, June 23, 2008 -- The U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA) today announced the opening of a Business Recovery Center (BRC) in Cedar Rapids. The center is specifically designed to provide a wide range of services to businesses impacted by the flooding.

“Due to the severe property damage and economic loss these floods inflicted on businesses in Cedar Rapids and surrounding communities, we want to provide every available service to help get them back on their feet,” said Steven Smith, Chief of the Executive Office of Disaster Strategic Planning and Operations. “This center will provide a single one-stop location for businesses to access a variety of specialized help,” he added.    » read more »

Kansas City, Kan., June 23, 2008 -- EPA Region 7 is dispatching two three-person water emergency response groups to Iowa to assist the Iowa Department of Natural Resources with assessing public water treatment facilities damaged in the Iowa floods.

EPA groups will provide technical expertise to assist communities in assessing the need for repair of local drinking water systems and wastewater systems.

The teams will work directly with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to provide technical assessments. The technical assessments allow IDNR and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide assistance to communities with repairs to their water treatment systems.

EPA groups will be working with the IDNR field offices in Manchester and Washington.    » read more »