Local volunteers help residents fill and position sandbags to protect their homes from the rising Iowa River. Photo: Greg Henshall, FEMA

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is responding with financial support and personnel to  flooding across the Midwest, including Indiana and Iowa, and stands ready to respond as additional flooding occurs in the coming days. 

In Iowa, a May 25 tornado killed eight people and caused severe damage to homes and agriculture in the communities of Parkersburg, New Hartford, Dunkerton and Lamont. Following the tornado, torrential rains have occurred throughout Iowa — all rivers are at or near flood stage.  The flooding is at or near record levels that were reached in 1993, when the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers overflowed their banks from April until October, causing tens of billions of dollars in damage.

PDA National Response Team member Don Hampton has been working with the North Central Iowa Presbytery as the presbytery and the congregation of First Presbyterian Church in Aplington assist the people of Parkersburg affected by the tornado. The Presbyterian Church in Aplington is five miles west of Parkersburg; seven families from that congregation lived in Parkersburg and were among the ones impacted.

Hampton is also working with the Presbytery of East Iowa and the Presbyterian Church in Independence, Iowa, which are assisting families affected by the tornado in the communities of Lamont and Hazelton in Buchanan County.

He said there will be significant flooding in Des Moines when excess water from the spillway of the Saylorville Dam is released into the Des Moines River to ease pressure on the dam and avoid damage to the structure.

In Indiana, Governor Daniels declared a state of emergency for 44 counties in central and southern Indiana impacted by high winds, severe storms and flash flooding.  After issuing an additional state of emergency on June 8 — for additional counties impacted by torrential rainfall, flash flooding and river flooding — he sent a letter to the president requesting that an expedited major disaster be declared.  Daniels stated “this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state and the affected local governments ...”

Both of the affected presbyteries in Indiana, Ohio Valley and Whitewater Valley, are actively participating in relief and recovery efforts.  Presbytery of Ohio Valley Executive Lorna Kuyk reports that as many as 10 to 15 communities may ultimately have widespread damage from the flooding.  Whitewater Valley Presbytery reports that 11 counties in the presbytery have been affected.

PDA National Response Team members, David and Carol Legg and Vern Farnum, are in Indiana assisting with damage assessment, helping to make connections between the presbytery and other faith-based response programs and providing general assistance to the presbytery as needed.

One Great Hour of Sharing and designated funds will be provided to assist in relief and recovery efforts.

A new storm system is moving northward from Oklahoma and could cause additional flooding in some of the hardest hit spots in Indiana again.