2011 flooding in western Iowa.

The National Weather Service is changing how it measures the depths of Iowa’s waterways, which also means a change in how much water will be needed to prompt the issuing of flood warnings.

Senior hydrologist, Jeff Zogg, says they’re shifting 44 of the 47 river forecast points across the state’s midsection.

“The reason we’re changing the flood stages and the flood categories across central Iowa is to give our flood warnings more meaning,” Zogg says. “We want to be sure that when we issue a river flood warning for a given location, that it actually means that something is going to occur.”

The National Weather Service office in Johnston serves 51 counties in central Iowa. He says the changes will impact about 30 rivers and streams across that area. “Over the years, due to mitigation activities, locations that may have been affected at a given stage are no longer impacted,” Zogg says.

“That requires us to raise the flood stage and the flood categories.” Almost all of the changes in river forecasting markers are being moved upward, meaning, a warning won’t be issued now until floodwaters reach a higher point.

“Many people have probably become used to us issuing river flood warnings for levels that don’t have much impact,” Zogg says. “Going forward, the flood warnings we do issue will definitely have more impact. They’re keyed in to impacts to life and property in the locations we do flood warnings for, so, they definitely need to pay attention to these flood warnings.”

Zogg anticipates the changes will mean a 50% reduction in the number of flood warnings the office issues this next year, versus previous years. The National Weather Service is scheduled to release its annual flood forecast for Iowa next Thursday, February 16th.

Learn more about the changes at “www.weather.gov/dmx“.

Fire destroyed a building in downtown Marshalltown today.

An overnight fire in Marshalltown destroyed a downtown building. Fire Chief Steve Edwards says crews were called to the three-story building at 135 East Main Street in Marshalltown shortly before midnight.

“By the time our trucks got there, we already had flames coming out of the roof,” Edwards said. “So, we set up for a defensive fire attack and brought it under control after about an hour or hour-and-a-half.” The building housed a Hispanic grocery store. No one was injured.

A family living in the back of the building got out safely. The cause of the fire remains under investigation and officials have yet to determine a damage estimate.

“Two-thirds of the roof is gone and half of the wall on the east side is gone, so most likely, it’s going to be a total loss,” Edwards said. A fire wall on one side of the building is credited for helping keep the flames from spreading to nearby businesses.

By Lance Renaud, KFJB, Marshalltown

She says they have staff in Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona and Pottawattamie County to help you out. “Staff can make sure that they have applied for everything that they are eligible for, they can offer resources, referrals, guidance, stress management and emotional support if that’s needed,” Hyatt says.

The PRI staff have been on the ground since the flooding began, but Hyatt says they still haven’t reached everyone that might need some help. “We are finding people who didn’t apply for federal funding because they didn’t think they met the requirements,” Hyatt says.

“The Missouri River flooding was a little different this time, because a lot of people evacuated, but they didn’t have flooding to their homes. There are resources available to people who fit into that category, and that’s not typical, so we want to be sure that people explore all opportunities while the window is still open.”

Anyone who lives or lived in the counties hit by the flooding can check with the Project Recovery Iowa office by calling the Iowa Concerns Hotline. That line is open 24-hours-a-day.

She says just call 800-447-1985 and asked to be connected with Project Recovery Iowa staff. You can also go on-line to: www.projectrecoveryiowa.com, or search for the PRI page on Facebook. Hyatt says the Missouri River flooding was unlike any other recent disasters because of how long the water remained before the recovery efforts started.

Hyatt says, “It went on for months, and people are still recovering from that, financially, emotionally, physically. And so we certainly want people to realize that it’s normal at this point, even though it’s been months since the flooding started in the summer, there are still reasons that people may need to connect with services.”

Hyatt says if you work in Iowa but live in Nebraska, they can direct you to the appropriate help in Nebraska if you call the Iowa Concerns Hotline.

Murray died in the crash. His wife, 46-year-old Julie Murray, was taken to University Hospitals in Iowa City where she later died of her injuries.

One of the couple’s four children, 18-year-old Nicole Murray, was treated at the hospital and released.

Gipp says, “It’s how you help people recover from that event is the biggest struggle that we have and also to see if there’s anything we can do to avoid a repeat of that in the future.” The authority makes recommendations on policies affecting the Missouri River. Besides the D.N.R., groups involved include the state departments of Homeland Security and Agriculture as well as federal agencies, like FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Gipp says making repairs to the damaged floodwalls all along the river is a high priority.

“The levees are an important part of that because people were accustomed to going behind the levees,” Gipp says. “They were told, initially, that what’s going to occur after the six major dam and reservoirs were built upstream. I guess that Mother Nature told us that you can maybe delay it but you can’t get rid of the flooding aspect.” Gipp says much of the D.N.R.’s role is to help state and federal agencies coordinate during the recovery process.

“A lot of what we do, especially when it comes to levee issues, flood plain issues, is depending on the Corps and FEMA and the reimbursement for that,” Gipp says. “I think there’s a good coordination. Some of that was learned simply because of the experiences on the east side of the state in 2008.” He says the panel will also discuss current and potential hydrologist roles and responsibilities in the state.

“Engineers have designed rumble strips, paved shoulders and they’ve looked at the grade of roadways in terms of visibility. They’ve also installed cable barriers that keep vehicles from crossing over the interstate and having crashes on the opposite side,” Stutz said.

There were 364 fatalities on Iowa roadways in 2011, down from 390 the previous year. Stutz said many lives were saved last year because motorists were wearing a seat belt. Iowa has one of the highest seat belt usage rates in the country, but Stutz said there’s plenty of room for improvement.

“Of those 364 that lost their lives, 116 were not using their seat belts,” Stutz said. Other factors that may’ve contributed to the decline in traffic fatalities include new laws that prohibit texting while driving and aim to increase the skill sets of younger drivers.

Stutz notes there are more vehicles than ever traveling Iowa’s roads, but those vehicles are much safer than decades ago. “We went through that muscle car era in the 1960s and early 70s and we’ve kind of transcended out of that,” Stutz said. “Perhaps those big, high performance vehicles being driven too recklessly on the street is somewhat of the past now.”

This year, so far, has been a dangerous one on Iowa roadways. The D.O.T. reports there were 40 fatal crashes in January. That compares to just 19 fatalities in January 2011.

Clark was taken to a Waterloo hospital where he later died. Clark was unresponsive when rescue crews pulled him from the ice waters. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources had been issuing warnings about the weakening ice due to the unseasonably warm weather.

Clarks death is the third to occur this week. A couple died in a rural Madison County pond on Monday in a similar accident.

By Scott Fenzloff, KCNZ, Cedar Falls

The pickup landed on its top on the iced-over pond. The man and woman died in the accident. The Iowa State Patrol has identified the victims as 37-year-old Jaimie Anderson, and 25-year-old Jestaine Olsen, both of Sioux City.

By Woody Gottburg, KSCJ, Sioux City

Hanson was eastbound on Highway 141 when he stopped to take a left turn into a farm drive and was waiting for traffic. The Monk vehicle failed to stop and struck the rear of the trailer. Monk was pronounced dead at the scene. Monk was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident.

By Michael Earl, KDSN, Denison

When firefighters arrived, they were told there may be children trapped inside. No one was found in the home and after an hour, the intense flames and sagging of the structure forced firefighters to evacuate. It was later determined all six children and five adults in the building made it out safely.

Investigators said it’s not clear if the second floor smoke alarms were operating, but the children — between the ages of 3 and 13 — evacuated when they smelled smoke and heard yelling.

The fire is blamed on a woman in one of the first floor apartments who fell asleep while cooking with grease.