Community leaders and individual Iowans can learn more about preparing for and preventing future flooding at several upcoming seminars. Tina Potthoff, spokesperson for the Rebuild Iowa office, says the events stem from a flood seminar held two months ago in Des Moines.
“We had a such a good response to that particular seminar, we decided to take it on the road,” Potthoff said.
Five additional seminars are now scheduled through June and July in Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Waverly, Mason City and Ames. The events will be led by officials with the University of Iowa’s Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research. Potthoff says the seminars are primarily intended for anyone who has an interest in disaster management.
“They’re going to cover everything from what an individual can do to prevent future flood damage to their home all the way into the more specific stuff, such as state and federal policy legislation that might be coming down the pipeline,” Potthoff said. Other agencies involved in hosting the seminars include the Iowa Flood Center and the Iowa League of Cities.
Potthoff says one of the highlights will involve speakers from the City of Cedar Falls, which has been recognized nationally for floodplain management. The initial seminar, held in March in Des Moines, was based on the book “A Watershed Year: Anatomy of the Iowa Floods of 2008.”
Potthoff says several of the people who involved in the research and writing of the book will take part in the five upcoming seminars. All of the seminars are free, open to the public and will take place from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. No registration is required.
Dates and locations:
6/16 – Burlington – City Council Chambers
6/21 – Cedar Rapids – Kirkwood Training and Outreach Services Building
6/30 – Waverly – Waverly-Shell Rock High School Auditorium
7/14 – Mason City – North Iowa Community College Muse Norris Center
7/19 – Ames – City Council Chambers