Cedar Rapids Weather
Benton County in Need of More Volunteers Following Devastating StormBy Jillian Petrus, Sourcemedia GroupRelated Content
BENTON COUNTY – Benton County Emergency Management officials say they’ve only cut through the first layer of work that needs to be done following last Monday’s storm.
The storm system produced more than 100 mile per hour straight line winds. Roofs were blown off, power lines severed and in Vinton about 75 percent of trees were destroyed. Now the county estimates it’s only finished about 10 to 15 percent of the clean-up effort. “This is a very long drawn out process,” said Jason White, information officer for Benton County Emergency Management. “It was just so wide and so much damage was done.” White says the number of volunteers dropped off after the weekend, but with so much to be done and a heat wave moving in, the county is asking for people to stick it out until the job is done. “There’s really no time table you can put on it, because there’s so much to do,” White said. White says EMA wants to be sure they reach people in the rural parts of the county. “They’re just out there in the county where you don’t see it as easily, but they still need the help and we need to get it to them,” said White. Staging centers are being used to stay connected to the volunteers and send them where ever help is needed, and right now it seems to be everywhere. “We need all the volunteers we can get,” said Tim Malott, managing volunteer groups from a staging area in Vinton. “We’ve got tree limbs down everywhere. They’re putting them on the side of the street, it’s just an endless job right now, but it will have an end.” One group of volunteers from Bettendorf answered the call for help, and brought with them an invaluable skill: they’re self-professed professional tree climbers. They scale trees with nothing more than a rope and harness, taking down hanging limbs and branches. “We met some of the people who own the houses,” said James Sullivan with Advantage Trees. “They’re just appreciative, just happy to have us help out.” But you don’t need to be a professional tree climber to help. Emergency management says they’ll take anyone willing to pick up branches, limbs and just work – and there is plenty of work to be done. The salvation army has opened a cooling center preparing for the hot week of work ahead. If you want to help, EMA says to call United Way 211. More Good Stuff |
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