Flood victims in small towns across Iowa are hoping they get the same federal assistance provided to those in larger cities. Much of the national media attention has focused on Iowa’s two largest cities, Des Moines and Cedar Rapids.
In Elkader, the flood damage is severe. Some of the homes are beyond repair in the town, which has a population of around 1,500. Krista Fischer says the damage to her home is too much to bear. "We really don’t want to come back and live here with the mold growing and knowing it’s flooded before," Fischer said.
Several residents along the Turkey River in Elkader seem to feel the same way. A group of youth volunteers from Kirksville, Missouri paid a visit to Elkader this week to help with the clean up. Instead, the kids are spending a lot of their time demolishing homes that are too damaged to save.
Some Elkader residents were relieved to see FEMA representatives walking through town this week. Fischer said, "I just hope that even though we are small here we get taken with as much seriousness as say Cedar Rapids and Iowa City." There are signs that the Clayton County town is on the road to recovery. This morning, the only grocery store in Elkader reopened.